As violence in the Central African Republic (CAR) continues, U.N. agencies have expressed alarm about the plight of civilians at risk inside the country and now are warning that the crisis threatens to engulf the region, with thousands of people fleeing the violence to seek refuge in neighboring countries. Since late 2012, violence and instability have displaced more than 700,000 people inside CAR and forced over 288,000 to flee to neighboring Cameroon, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Republic of Congo. The U.N. World Food Program (WFP) warned Tuesday that neighboring countries are struggling to deal with the more than 150,000 new arrivals in urgent need of assistance. "We are facing a regional crisis that goes well beyond the orders of the Central African Republic. These people—most of them women and children—have seen their homes burned and witnessed unspeakable violence and had no choice but to leave," said WFP West Africa regional director Denise Brown. "They desperately need food and nutritional assistance and other support both inside CAR and in neighboring countries. They need it now, and they should not have to wait," Brown said.
