Central African Republic: armed conflict turns residents into refugees at UN The city of Birao in the Central African Republic has been hit hard since September by fighting between two armed groups. Most of its 14,000 residents are now refugees next to the UN base. Huddled in makeshift tents, a few metres from abandoned houses. The armed group, the Popular Front for the Rebirth of Central African Republic (FPRC), brings a new wave of displaced people to the camp, where water is scarce at the beginning of the dry season. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES