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Central African Republic Refugees Fle...

21 Apr 2015

More than 200km from the Sudanese capital Khartoum, the remains of an ancient city rise from the arid and inhospitable terrain like a science-fiction film set. Nestled between sand dunes, the secluded pyramids seem to have been forgotten by the modern world, with no nearby restaurants or hotels to cater to tourists. The Nubian Meroe pyramids, much smaller but just as impressive as the more famous Egyptian ones, are found on the east bank of the Nile river, near a group of villages called Bagrawiyah. The pyramids get their name from the ancient city of Meroe, the capital of the Kingdom of Kush, an ancient African kingdom situated in what is now the Republic of Sudan. Around 1000 BCE, after the fall of the 24th Egyptian dynasty, the Nubian Kingdom of Kush arose as the leading power in the middle Nile region. The Kushite kings took over and ruled much of Egypt from 712 to 657 BCE. In 300 BCE, when the capital and royal burial ground of the kingdom moved to the Meroe region, the pharaonic tradition of building pyramids to encapsulate the tombs of rulers continued here.

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democratic republic of congo

06 Mar 2014

The Central African Republic (CAR) has experienced decades of political unrest. Violence has spiralled since the 2013, when the mostly Muslim Seleka rebels alliance
ousted President Francois Bozize. Their abuses against the majority Christian population sparked a wave of revenge attacks that led to massacres across the country.

Violence in the north east of the country and in the capital Bangui has forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes. UNHCR estimates that over 2000 people have been killed since December 2013. More than 600 000 people have been internally displaced and some 100 000 have fled to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the Republic of the Congo, Chad and Cameroon.

According to the UNHCR, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is now hosting nearly 60,000 refugees from Central African Republic. Half of them are spread across four refugee camps, while the others are living with host families.
An estimated 9000 people live in the Mole refugee camp, located on the banks of the Oubagui river, 35 kilometres from the nearest big town, Zongo, in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Nearly 10,000 refugees, both Muslims and Christians, have found refuge in the Boyabu Camp.

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The pyramids are located northeast of Sudan near the river Nile.

What the Italian explorer Giuseppe Ferlini discovered after smashing the top of 40 pyramids was taken back to British and German museums.

'This is our history. Here our ancestors are buried,' said Abdullah who lives in Al Tarabil village, a few kilometres away from the site of the pyramids.

Between 1800 and 1870, Italian explorer Giuseppe Ferlini smashed the top of 40 pyramids to get to their treasure.

Renewed restoration and preservation efforts are under way. Still, visitors leave their mark, etching their names into bricks.

Renewed restoration and preservation efforts are under way. Still, visitors leave their mark, etching their names into bricks.

The pyramids get their name from the ancient city of Meroe, the capital of the Kingdom of Kush, an ancient African kingdom situated in what is now the Republic of Sudan.

Excavation of the pyramids began only in the middle of the 19th century.

Through the years, the pyramids have been plundered of all their wealth.

Some pyramids have been partially restored, looking new in comparison with their neighbours.

Through the years the pyramids have been plundered of all their wealth.

There are more than 230 pyramids in Sudan, stretching across the ancient Nubian kingdom.

The pyramids are the burial site for more than 40 Nubian kings and queens

These the Meroe pyramids are among the best preserved in Sudan.

The royal pyramids at Meroe were built in Nubia 800 years after the Egyptians finished building theirs.

The royal pyramids at Meroe were built in Nubia 800 years after the Egyptians finished building theirs.

Locals offer camel rides to tourists and visitors. Here they wait for clients under the hot sun.

A local guide offers camel rides to tourists and visitors.

Woman doing daily chores in Mole refugee camp

Boyabu refugee camp, Lebenge, DRC. UNHCR, with the help of local Congolese contractors, have dug up wells around the camp for drinking water. Refugees often complain that not all the wells have clean water suitable for cooking and drinking.

Boyabu Camp 17

Boyabu refugee camp, Lebenge, DRC. Two sisters caring for their younger brother.

Boyabu Camp 10

The main street in Boyabu refugee camp, Lebenge, DRC. Boyabu camp is hosting an estimated 6000 refugees.

Mole Camp 6

Mole refugee camp, Zongo, DRC. A child playing with a ball. UNHCR and the leaders elected by the refugees regularly organize sport events and other activities for the youth.

Boyabu Camp 17

Boyabu refugee camp, Lebenge, DRC. Family preparing their dinner. The only food they receive from the UNHCR is flour, salt and oil. The rest of their diet is composed of fruits and root vegetable they pick in the forest and the other food they manage to trade around the camp and in the local market.

Mole Camp 3

Mole refugee camp, Zongo, DRC. Children singing and playing after school. For a moment, it seems like they forget their situation.

Boyabu Camp 12

Boyabu refugee camp, Lebenge, DRC. Portrait of a child. UNHCR employs refugees living in the camp as teachers. The refugee teachers are in charge of the school and the education of the children under the supervision the UNHCR and the refugees' leaders.

Mole camp 7

Mole refugee camp, Zongo, DRC. A family has a makeshift shop in front of their shelter. They sell cigarettes and root vegetables collected from the forest.

Boyabu Camp 14

Boyabu refugee camp, Lebenge, DRC. People circulating in the camp.

Boyabu Camp 21

04 Mar 2014

Boyabu refugee camp, Lebenge, DRC. A girl at the Boyabu refugee camp, after a school day.

Mole Camp 4

Mole refugee camp, Zongo, DRC. Children in the camp. Many of the children arrived in the camp with neighbors or distant relatives. They were separated from their families while trying to flee the violence in Central Africa Republic.

Boyabu Camp 23

04 Mar 2014

Boyabu refugee camp, Lebenge, DRC. UNHCR delivering aid to Boyabu and Mole refugee camps is very difficult. The only way to access them is from the Oubangui river or through jungle dirt roads. It can take weeks for the aid to reach the camp.

Boyabu Camp 15

Boyabu refugee camp, Lebenge, DRC. Despite the fact that living conditions in the refugee camps are often better than the living conditions of the local Congolese population, Central African refugees are most often welcomed by the local communities.

Boyabu Camp 22