Forest flight amid CAR fighting

By Karen Allen
BBC News, Central African Republic

Mr Ganahu said it is too dangerous to venture into town

The twisted metal of a melted motor bike is all Marcel Ganahu has managed to salvage from the fire that tore through his village earlier this year.

This settlement just outside the town of Paoua in the north west of the Central African Republic was burnt to the ground, when the elite forces of the presidential guard set it alight.

They accused residents like Marcel, of giving shelter to the rebel group the APRD, challenging the authority of the president, who barely controls this area.

Now thousands of men women and children, their homes also torched, are in hiding deep in the forests.

They endure gruelling conditions. Many of the youngsters are riddled with skin infections which have become septic. Venturing into town to seek medical help is just too risky they say.

Vast implications

"Most of the villagers are in the bush - a handful of us have returned to assess the damage, to try and rebuild our homes. The earliest I think we'll be able to return is next year," Mr Ganahu says.

Some children have skin disorders from living in the forest

Clay pots and pans, littered outside damaged homes, bear testimony to the haste with which people fled.

A priest and his assistant were dragged away by the attackers back in January, then killed in this latest round of fighting.

Although fatalities have been small compared to conflicts in neighbouring countries, the effects of this low-level war in the Central African Republic are vast.

More than 280,000 people have fled their homes in the past year - tens of thousands more have sought refuge across the border in Chad and Cameroon.

The Central African Republic is a state with a tiny population, large humanitarian needs and enormous potential.

Rich in minerals and agricultural land, this is a country dogged by decades of unrest and paralysed by ineffective government. Yet the plight of the people who live here, goes largely ignored by the outside world.

Squeezed between conflicts in Chad and Sudan, the troubles in Central African Republic have been overshadowed. Only a handful of aid agencies operate here, and the humanitarian "footprint" is barely visible.

Urgent needs

If the new UN humanitarian envoy John Holmes, gets his way, that is about to change.

He has made it his mission to try to help reverse this country's fortunes by securing the Central African Republic a bigger place on the international map and encouraging the deployment of relief agencies there.

The needs of the thousands who have fled into the forests cannot be overestimated.

Medicines, seeds and tools are what they urgently require, and though pledges have been made by well meaning international donors, only a sixth of that money has been realised.

Although spillover from the conflict in Darfur is blamed for instability in the east of the country, the conflict in this forgotten country is largely the result of internal forces.

John Holmes has called for more humanitarian aid for the republic

Since elected to power in 2003, President Francois Bozize has faced an insurgency in the north with civilians caught in the middle.

The fighting has worsened in the past 18 months made worse by government forces apparently out of control. The president admits his elite presidential guard have struggled to maintain control in the face of rebel attacks; and concedes they've been blamed for targeting civilians. President Bozize said: "We know there have been some cases of serious lapses in behaviour during military operations...However the reality on the ground is that the rebels come to attack the army in its bases and in broad daylight. Should we just keep our arms folded?"

Partial peace

Like so many countries in Africa, geographical and economic disparities have fuelled the conflict in the country.

Large parts of the north have remained under-developed whilst Bangui, the capital boasts smart restaurants, a Chinese football stadium and hotels.

A partial peace has been secured with some of the rebels, but the tough lesson learnt from Darfur is that without bringing all parties around the negotiating table, any deal is likely to fail.

John Holmes has made it clear that he will argue the republics case for greater humanitarian assistance in return for political dialogue to ease the tensions in the north.

But it is a tough pledge to honour - with continuing instability in Chad and Sudan, there is a risk that well intentioned promise will be blown off course.