According to the UN News Centre reporting on 23 January 2018, the number of people fleeing violence in the Central African Republic (CAR) has reached its highest level since the civil war first erupted five years ago. Many of the displaced are Christians fleeing the violence caused by various factions of the Seleka militant group which is made up of mainly Muslim fighters. According to the UNHCR press briefing on 23 January 2018, data for 2017 shows that 688,700 people were displaced internally - 60% more than in 2016 - and a total of 542,380 CAR refugees have been registered in neighboring countries, a 12% increase compared to 2016." Yonas Dembele, persecution analyst at World Watch Research, comments: "As the cycle of violence and revenge in CAR continues, the security situation is further deteriorating and the government seems unable to prevent the atrocities being committed against Muslim and Christian civilians. Despite the fact that the UN has helped launch a special criminal court to bring perpetrators of war crimes in CAR to justice, the various militias continue to ravage the country and the UN peacekeeping mission is proving ineffectual. Unless a more robust and decisive intervention is made by the international community, the situation in the country is likely to keep getting worse. The protracted violence has created an intimidating and unpredictable environment for Christians in many parts of the country."