UN official in Bangui to assess humanitarian situation

The Special Humanitarian Adviser of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Ramiro Lopes Da Silva, arrived in Bangui, the Central African Republic (CAR) on Sunday, for a three-week humanitarian assessment mission in the country's war-affected areas. Da Silva, who is accompanied by the humanitarian affairs officer at the Response Coordination Branch of OCHA-Geneva, Marcel Mikala; and the associate humanitarian officer and focal point for UN Security Council Matters at OCHA-New York, Alain Handy, is due to meet with senior CAR authorities and humanitarian actors. He is also due to visit some of the areas that were badly affected by a six-month rebellion that ended on 15 March 2003 when CAR leader Francois Bozize seized power. Da Silva’s visit is the first of a high-level UN humanitarian mission since that date. The rebellion directly affected five of the country's 16 provinces - Ouham, Ouham Pende, Kemo, Nana Grebizi and part of Ombella Mpoko. Eight other provinces in the east were indirectly affected as they were cut off from Bangui, the main supply point for drugs and other basic commodities. Meantime, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for the Great Lakes region, Ibrahima Fall, arrived in Bangui on Sunday. State-owned Radio Centrafrique reported that Fall was heading a UN-African Union delegation that would prepare, together with the CAR authorities, the country's participation in an international conference on the region, planned for November in Tanzania.