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A new report by UNICEF says the number of people affected by political violence in the Central African Republic is on the rise. From the UN News Center

Government troops and rebel forces in the Central African Republic (CAR) continue to clash despite ongoing talks of a peace agreement, and nearly 300,000 people had been driven from their homes as of last month, according to a United Nations update.

Even more worrying are the attacks by Coupeur de Route bandits, who continue to wreak havoc across the country's northwest, burning and looting houses and kidnapping and killing civilians, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) reported.

"Many villagers have fled in terror. Attacks on humanitarian workers are also becoming disturbingly common," the agency said. "The ongoing insecurity has also led to the complete decimation of public infrastructure across the north. Many schools and hospitals remain closed due to the conflict and thousands of families have lost their homes and possessions. "

CAR is one of those "forgotten" emergencies -- because the country borders Darfur, and eastern Chad it is easy to understand why. Still, CAR remains one of the most desperate places on earth. The violence there has taken a particularly hard toll on women. Along with eastern Congo, the CAR is one of the worst places on earth to be a woman caught in armed conflict. Gender-based violence there has risen to appalling levels. The International Criminal Court, which is investigating war crimes in CAR, has identified rape as a major tool of war in the CAR--saying that the number of rapes far outnumbers the number of alleged extrajudicial killings it is investigating there.

UNICEF was the agency that put together this report to try and shine a spotlight on this emergency. If you want to keep up with UNICEF, sign up for their newsletter.

Posted by Mark Leon Goldberg at 9:31 AM