CAR refugees hit 470,000 by end of 2015

Approximately 470,000 people from the Central African Republic had taken refuge in the neighboring countries by the end of 2015 according to a report from the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees.

The report also indicates that more than 10,000 applications for asylum are still pending. The refugees were forced to flee CAR following a three-year religious conflict which saw Muslim militants topple the government of president Francois Bozize in 2013.

A total of 260,000 internally displaced persons have already returned to their homes while 216,000 other people are still identified as displaced.

According to the UNHCR, there are close to a million people who are still in need of humanitarian assistance in the CAR.