For the past several decades Central Africa has been wrought with conflict, including both civil wars and international conflicts. Many different ethnic groups are involved in various capacities, creating tensions within and between countries. Do not assume that individuals from the same country are of the same ethnic group or religious affiliation. There are important differences among the ethnic and tribal groups, and because of the longstanding tensions among some of the groups it is important to respect these differences. These conflicts have resulted in millions of refugees and internally displaced people throughout the countries in Central Africa. In particular, the conflicts in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are wide-scale and have involved surrounding countries (including the Central African Republic and Burundi) in recent years.