By J. J. Messner & Kendall Lawrence
24 June 2013
Central African Republic
The Central African Republic (CAR) rose from 10th to 9th on this year’s FSI with an increase in its individual aggregate score of 1.5 points.
Throughout 2012, natural disasters in the form of flooding impacted both the food supply and the level of disease in a country that already struggles with inadequate infrastructure and public services.
There was an increase in violence and abductions during the year due to the presence of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in southeastern CAR. With the LRA in the southeast and armed groups in the north, over 27,000 people were displaced in 2012 from fighting and overall insecurity.
There were violent protests throughout the year over government policies as well as riots that culminated in attacks on prisons, freeing inmates.
Protests also erupted in December as French troops were deployed to Bangui to reportedly protect French nationals and facilitate their safe escort out of the country. Protestors accused the French of trying to prop up the beleaguered government as rebel forces closed in on the capital. Both the UN and the US also issued evacuation orders for their staff and citizens.
By December of 2012, rebels had overtaken most of the CAR, including the capital, forcing the government to flee in to exile. The coup was widely condemned by the international community.
To access the full Failed States Index 2013: The Troubled Ten, please follow the hyperlink.