“The European Union is to increase its aid to Central African Republic [CAR] to tackle a humanitarian crisis gripping the impoverished nation since rebels seized power in March,” Reuters reports. “Kristalina Georgieva, the E.U. commissioner responsible for international cooperation and humanitarian aid, said on Thursday Europe would provide an additional $8 million, bringing its total aid since the start of the year to $20 million,” the news service writes. “Medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières accused the international community this week of turning its back on the mineral-rich nation, which has been devastated by more than a decade of sporadic violence,” according to Reuters, which notes, “Four months after rebels seized Bangui, government and health services across the country are close to collapse and armed groups terrorize civilians, the charity said” (Flynn, 7/11). “Warning that the political crisis gripping [CAR] has affected its entire population, United Nations humanitarian chief Valerie Amos and [Georgieva on Friday] urged the authorities in the strife-torn country to urgently re-establish the rule of law so that assistance and access can continue unimpeded,” the U.N. News Centre adds. “In the first half of 2013, the humanitarian community in CAR has targeted 484,000 people for food assistance and reached 45 percent of them,” the news service writes, noting, “About 8,000 people suffering severe acute malnutrition have received treatment and 123,000 children out of 680,000 targeted have been vaccinated against measles” (7/11).