Little help for people made homeless by bush fires

Approximately 500 people in the northwest and centre of the Central African Republic (CAR) are still homeless and without aid, two weeks after bush fires destroyed their homes, despite an appeal launched by the international NGO Caritas. "Until now our appeal has gone unheard," Hortense Toulougoussou, the Caritas spokeswoman, told IRIN on Saturday. In Bossangoa, the provincial capital of the northwest province of Ouham, 400 people are homeless in two villages; a further 100 people are homeless in Bambari, the provincial capital of Ouaka. The fires, which occurred at the height of the dry season, also burnt food stock and fields of crops ready for harvest. "I have driven past all the affected areas," a soldier in Bossangoa told IRIN on 25 February. "It's clear the people there have not received assistance." Before the appeal was launched, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) sent some plastic sheeting for makeshift shelter as well as blankets and cooking utensils. However, Dominique Nguemea, the chief of the village of Ngarakette, 70 km south from Bossangoua, told IRIN on 25 February that MSF's aid was insufficient for everyone affected in his village. The village school also burnt down. "Our children need to continue their education," Nguemea said. The only aid received so far from the government is some nails, he said. Until further aid arrives, Nguemea said "the children of homeless families may have to go to live with people in villages nearby".