OIC Executes Urgent Humanitarian Mission in CAR
The General Secretariat, acting on the directives of the OIC Secretary General, Iyad Ameen Madani, will lead an international humanitarian mission to the Central African Republic, the Republic of Cameroon and the Republic of Chad.
The aim of the mission is to hold consultations with senior officials of the countries concerned with the crisis to discuss ways of extending urgent humanitarian assistance to the displaced persons and refugees and to obtain first-hand information by visiting displaced persons camps in the Central African Republic and refugees camps in Cameroon and Chad.
Amb. Fouad Maznaie, representative of the OIC Humanitarian Affairs Department and the head of the delegation, explained that the delegation will include in addition to the OIC, the Islamic Development Bank, the Islamic Solidarity Fund, the International Islamic Relief Organisation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Turkish Red Cross, the Turkish IHH Organisation, Turkey’s Doctors around the World, Qatar’s Charity Foundation, Britain’s Islamic Relief, Britain’s Islamic Aid, and other international humanitarian organizations.
The OIC humanitarian mission is expected to prepare a comprehensive humanitarian intervention programme, pursuant to the resolution of the emergency ministerial Executive Committee meeting held at the OIC General Secretariat, Jeddah on 20 February 2014, which provided for the dispatching of a high-level delegation to the Central African Republic to assess the prevailing situation on the ground, and to show solidarity with the Muslim community who continue to be victims of violence and gross human rights violations. It should be mentioned that the said meeting also decided to appoint an OIC special envoy to the Central African Republic. Immediately after that, the Secretary General appointed a former Senegalese foreign minister, Cheikh Tidiane Gadio, as special envoy. The Special Envoy undertook several visits to the Central African Republic and neighbouring states to lay the groundwork for the delegation’s visit.
The OIC high-level ministerial delegation embarked on a solidarity and assessment visit to conflict-ridden Central African Republic which is also an observer state in the OIC. The delegation, which comprised several ministers from the OIC Member States and the OIC Secretary General, was led by Mr Lounceny Fall, Chairman of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers and Foreign Minister of the Republic of Guinea. The delegation also visited the Republic of Cameroon and the Republic of Chad.
The bloody events witnessed in Central African Republic led to the displacement of more than 2 million Muslims. The capital Bangui was also cleansed of Muslims with only few thousands remaining after they were subjected to huge killing operations and their properties were plundered.
Source: OIC
