Locked up in Hell

Children hacked to death by machetes, grenades thrown in suburbs and stray bullets entering a refugee camp: no one is immune from violence in the Central African Republic.

"There is a state of despair among the people," said Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) psychologist Gail Womersely, who has just returned from the war-torn country.

CAR's ex-president, François Bozizé, was overthrown just over a year ago by rebels aligned to the minority Muslim population.

Michael Djotodia took power but resigned after failing to stop the violence.

Womersely spoke yesterday in Johannesburg about her five weeks' working stint in the CAR offering psychological support to the medical staff.

Womersely said the NGO staff there were traumatised because the refugee camps and hospitals were considered dangerous. There they often had to duck bullets.

She provided therapy to staff and also taught stress reduction techniques, such as deep breathing, and relaxation exercises to the nurses and doctors.

"Even our staff are affected by the war. Some have lost loved ones and some do not have enough clothes to wear in the refugee camps because they fled their houses. Now they struggle with not looking professional," the psychologist said.

MSF rotates its staff in emergency situations so that they are not burned out by the trauma of working in a war zone.

Womersely worked with a woman called Emma in a refugee camp in Bangui. Emma lost her husband to the violence earlier this year.

With armed men getting closer and grenades exploding, she and her two children fled and left their two pet dogs behind.

Emma was unable to return because her suburb was too dangerous. Later a neighbour told her that her dogs had been run over by a vehicle and then eaten by hungry residents.

Womersely also met a philosophy professor who had left his house in the suburbs to take his family to a refugee camp. There they sleep on the floor in a tent and struggle to find clean drinking water.

MSF president Joanne Liu said in a press release: "In Bozoum, we found 17 people hiding in a small courtyard with wounds from gunshots, machetes and a grenade.

"They were too scared to go to hospital, fearing that they would be targeted again. Their injuries were serious, yet they were all sitting in silence, bleeding. That's how terrified people are of seeking medical care. They just sat there in silence, having lost all hope."

The country has descended into chaos with the political conflict suddenly creating religious tensions that had not been there before, said Womersely.

A Christian woman married to a Muslim told Womersely that she was worried about what would happen to her children. Their father had fled the country.

MSF has helped deliver 1000 babies since December, offered medical attention to 30000 people and treated 4000 wounded.

• It launched a campaign yesterday, Act for CAR, asking South Africans to support its work in the strife-torn country by sending an SMS to 42110. SMSes cost R30.