Humanitarian conditions deteriorating in CAR, aid groups warn

"A rebel takeover of several key towns in the Central African Republic (CAR) has placed additional strain on humanitarian conditions that were already precarious due to years of armed conflict," IRIN reports (1/4). "Humanitarian groups have expressed alarm at the lack of access to more than 300,000 civilians caught up in the fighting," the Guardian notes, adding, "The U.N. secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon, and the [U.N.] security council have condemned the attacks and called on the rebels to halt hostilities" (Tran, 1/4). "In many areas, basic health care and education are provided by aid groups or not at all," IRIN writes (1/4). "The Central African Republic has been wracked by political unrest since gaining independence from France in 1960," the Guardian notes (1/4).