Does travel insurance cover diplomatic faux pas Let rsquo s hope the Vatican has invested in the deluxe package for Pope Francis He begins tomorrow a whirlwind visit to the Holy Land that he insists is NOT political but personal and religious so naturally his every gesture will be mdash has alrea

On World Hunger Day, seeking to break the cycle of violence and crop shortages in the Central African Republic.

ldquo The general security situation in this country is awful rdquo says Msgr Nestor-D sir Nongo-Aziagbia bishop of Bossangoa in the Central African Republic ldquo Terrible rdquo he adds shaking his head sadly nbsp Behind him across the grounds of the archbishop rsquo s residence in Ba

Blog posts, podcasts and photos from Senior Editor Kevin Clarke's reporting in the Central African Republic.

The truck lurches and weaves with every rut and gully on the bush trail mdash and there are many of them mdash in slow but steady progress through to the outlying villages around Bossangoa The day before two large lorries broke down repeatedly during the same exercise through these small villages

Coming from such a large and imposing figure the soft voice of the general is a surprise One has to lean in and listen closely to hear Mohamed-Moussa Dhaffane speak sharing the high drama of the moment in something close to a whisper Acting President of the Seleka in the Central African Republic

If Maxime Makom has his way, all the remaining anti-balaka fighters in the Central African Republic capital of Bangui will gather in one long line before government officials and representatives from the international community and drop their weapons into a giant pile for all to see. Makom, who desc

Mohamed Bomassa was saved today by his baseball cap ldquo Pour la Paix rdquo it reads he holds it up for a photo ldquo This protected me rdquo he says explaining that for a Muslim youth crossing Bangui the capital city of the Central African Republic can be a fatal experience these days

In Bangui before the violence between the city rsquo s Muslim and Christian communities reached a crescendo in recent weeks life was hardly easy in the first place Unemployment and poverty are sky high in this capital of the Central African Republic a land-locked nation with a modest tourism trad

The news emerging from the Central African Republic remains deeply troubling. As the predominately Christian “anti-balaka” militias continue to harass Muslim communities around the country, there are signs that Seleka rebels, who are mostly Muslim, are attempting to regroup in the north.