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UNICEFs Representative to the Central African Republic said children have fallen victim to malnutrition and recruitment as child soldiers. He warned the conflict has growing regional implications. Souleyman Diabat was in New York this week briefing U.N. officials about the ongoing crisis. He said all of the countrys health and social services have collapsed. The situation in Central African Republic is not good at all. It is a fragile country, and the security situation is volatile and unpredictable. So working in this environment is kind of complicated, he said. A complicated situation grew even worse last December when Christian militias formed to combat attacks by mostly Muslim Seleka rebels. The inter-communal violence has left many civilians dead or maimed. Much of the countrys Muslim population has been displaced from the capital Bangui. About 6,000 African and French peacekeepers are trying to maintain a semblance of order in a country too big for their numbers. The U.N. has authorized a mission to the countryMINUSCA -- consisting of 10,000 military and 1,800 police personnel. But itll be months before they arrive. We all know that the peacekeeping mission will be deployed in mid-September. But we all know that the nation wont be fully operational In September. So between now and September there is a kind of vacuum that needs to be addressed, he said. | 
