Along the main road running through Surupa village, several women are removing loads of jerrycans from the backs of their donkeys. There are hundreds of jerry cans full of camel milk lining the road. A few minutes later, a public bus stops by the highway, and everyone becomes busy loading the jerry cans onto the top of the bus.
Gilio Brunelli, Director of International Programs
The recent offensive that was launched by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) throughout Iraq has caused the displacement of 1.2 million Iraqis, who are trying to escape violence and terror. Following attacks and retaliation by other groups, the situation is evolving by the day.
Stéphane Vinhas is an Emergency Programs Officer at Development and Peace. In this interview, he provides an alarming portrait of the situation in the Central African Republic (CAR) and the impact of the turmoil on the surrounding countries, especially Chad.
What’s been happening in the Central African Republic over the last few months?
Today, we travelled to Caisawan in the province of Eastern Samar to actively participate in the Typhoon Haiyan (known locally as Yolanda) Shelter Recovery Program. The money for this program has come from Canadians who donated to Development and Peace’s emergency appeal to help those who experienced the devastating impacts of Typhoon Haiyan, which hit the central part of the Philippines on November 8, 2013.
A group of twelve Development and Peace members from the Prairies and the Atlantic provinces, accompanied by two staff members, are on a solidarity trip to the Philippines.
It should be a day of celebration in South Sudan today. July 9th marks the third anniversary of the country’s hard-fought independence. Instead, the population lives amidst conflict and terror, the threat of hunger and disease looming large. The country was recently named the most fragile state in the world by the Fund for Peace, claiming the title which was previously held by Somalia.
On the night of February 9-10, residents of the northern neighborhoods of Bujumbura, the capital of Burundi, woke up to grieve for themselves and their fellow citizens. The neighborhoods were submerged as a result of major floods. Torrential rains caused a destructive mix of water and sediments to flood these areas, causing 76 deaths, including some children, and 708 injuries.
The conflict in Syria has been ongoing for over three years now, and it has forced 2.8 million to flee the country. It is a shocking number that makes us take a moment to reflect on the sheer number of people who have abandoned their homes to escape the violence. Yet such a large number can make us lose sight that it represents 2.8 million individuals, each with a name and a story, each who had a home and a history that was all left behind with only bits and pieces carried away in a suitcase.
This past Good Friday was marked by the tragic death of Fr. Christ Forman Wilibona, a priest in the diocese of Bossangoa in the northwest of Central African Republic (CAR), who was assassinated. Reports say he was shot six times by armed men while riding on a motorcycle through traffic. He was on his way to Paoua where he was the parish priest at Saint Kisito church.
