United Nations Radio

An upsurge in attacks by armed bandits in the Central African Republic's north has forced up to 300,000 people to flee their homes, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, which says groups of 10 to 30 armed men roam the area, kidnapping, assaulting and killing people, looting property, and burning homes and even entire villages.

UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Mia Farrow who spent a week in the area along with the agency's regional director was able to speak to victims of highway bandits, military raids and forced displacement.

"I just spoke to a woman - her five-year-old son was carrying the little baby and when these bandits attacked the village, the little boy, the five-year-old ran holding the baby and the five-year-old was shot and killed and this woman was holding the baby who survived but the bullet had torn through the baby's leg."

Ms. Farrow also met women who had suffered multiple rapes and children who had been kidnapped for ransom and held for two years in the bush.

UNICEF has called on the Government to spend more on services for people but also for international donors to start paying urgent attention to the multiple needs of the Central African Republic, which is one of the poorest countries in the world and one in five children does not reach their fifth birthday.

Reporting for UN Radio, I'm Bissera Kostova.