For over 20 years, the Central African Republic (CAR) has been experiencing chronic political and military instability. The country was plunged into chaos on March 24, 2013 following the overthrow of its former president François Bozizé by Seleka rebels, who formed a new government without real power or control over the nation. This long-neglected crisis has recently been the focus of media attention and renewed interest on the part of the international community.
Caritas Lebanon, with support from Development and Peace and the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (DFATD), is providing much-needed medical services to Syrian refugees in Lebanon. The organisation is running health clinics that provide services to refugees who do not live in camps, an oft-forgotten group, as well as to other vulnerable groups in Lebanon, such as host families, whose resources are strained by the added members to their household.
The conflict in Syria has intensified over the last few months. With increased violence, people are continuing to flee the country. However, there are those who can’t leave and as such, they must cope with ever-worsening and arduous conditions. There are now 4.5 million people within the country who are displaced, which is the equivalent of about 20% of the population. In addition, ongoing hostilities have destroyed infrastructure and left cities isolated and without basic necessities – including food. What little is left, is unaffordable for much of the population.
With the civil war in Syria showing no signs of abating, those who fled their homes and became refugees in neighbouring countries, continue to wonder if they will ever be able to return to their homeland, while others continue to make the heart wrenching decision to leave to escape the violence at their doorsteps. There are now almost 2 million Syrian refugees spread throughout the Middle East, including 680,000 in Lebanon alone.
Over 200,000 Syrians are fleeing their country each and every month to seek refuge in Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt. We marked World Refugee Day just last week, and on that occasion Fr Simon Faddoul, President of Caritas Lebanon, a partner organization of Development and Peace, provided an alarming assessment of the plight of the Syrian refugees who are arriving in Lebanon daily in ever increasing numbers.
A few months ago, we had the pleasure of premiering Salt+Light’s documentary A New Leaf, about the food crisis in the Sahel region of West Africa in several cities across Canada. These premiere events brought out hundreds of people who wanted to learn more about this little known part of the world and how as Canadians we can make a difference. In only a mere 30 minutes, audience members felt a connected solidarity with those whose stories spanned across the screen.
On the occasion of the Good Friday Fast, a number of people are preparing to raise funds in solidarity with Development and Peace so as to support our partners in Africa, Asia, Latin American and the Middle East. Hundreds of Canadians from all across the nation will be taking part. Fasting represents a symbolic choice in favour of solidarity with the poor, the oppressed, and the hungry, and provides a time-out to concentrate on what really matters.
Last week, Development and Peace sponsored a series of premieres of the new Salt and Light documentary A New Leaf, which features the response of Development and Peace to the food crisis in the Sahel region of West Africa, in five Canadian cities across the country.
This summer, I travelled to Niger and Mali to report on the food crisis that was gripping the Sahel region of West Africa, as well as the impact that political instability in Mali was having on the population. Accompanying me for the Niger part, was a crew from Salt and Light Television, who we had invited to come to document how the population was coping and our response. Together, we visited villages where the threat of hunger was a daily struggle. We also visited a refugee camp for Malians fleeing the violence in their own country. We could see the despondency of the people in the camp, having been completely uprooted from their homes and without any real idea as to when they would be able to return, if ever. It was a journey of discovery for all of us, and I was anxious to see how this story would be told in the documentary.
The ongoing conflict in Mali is the result of a complex series of events in which each player has defended their own interests. Secessionist ambitions, control of natural resources, the imposition of sharia, are all claims raised by a variety of national and international actors. After launching a military offensive in early January 2013, French troops supported by African troops have now taken control of almost the entire territory, but the instability persists.
