Cyclical armed violence severely affects the protection and survival of thousands in Ippy, 4 February 2022

Cyclical armed violence is severely affecting the protection and survival of thousands of people in Ippy in the centre of the Central African Republic

Bangui, 4 February 2022 – Returning from an inter-agency assessment mission in Ippy on 3 February, the Humanitarian Coordinator, Ms Denise Brown, expresses her deep concern about the cycles of armed violence and reprisals involving serious human rights violations and breaches of international humanitarian law that are severely affecting the people in the Ippy Sub-prefecture in the centre of the Central African Republic (CAR).

She pointed to the increasing needs of a distressed population and the continuing wave of people fleeing from various locations around Ippy. "Both the newly displaced and the host families lack the basic necessities for survival. People live in almost total destitution: the market is empty, people no longer have access to the fields and they are afraid, especially women and children," warned the Humanitarian Coordinator.

The need for humanitarian aid in the Ippy Sub-prefecture is high: 40,000 people need assistance and protection, a number that has sharply increased in recent months. Between December 2021 and January 2022, more than 4,000 people arrived and settled at several sites in the town of Ippy, adding to the 12,000 who had previously arrived. They are in extremely difficult conditions with no food and insufficient access to health care and education.

"Now more than ever, all parties to the conflict must respect their obligations under international humanitarian law and immediately stop violence against civilians. We must scale up our humanitarian response, knowing that protection remains the top priority for the population," said Denise Brown.

The Humanitarian Response Plan for CAR, published in January 2022, shows that 3.1 million people – 63 per cent of the population - need humanitarian assistance and protection. 2 million of them would not survive without the required assistance, estimated at US$ 461.3 million in 2022. Thanks to the generosity of donors and the strong mobilisation of humanitarian actors, 1.8 million vulnerable people received life-saving multi-sectoral assistance in 2021.

For more information, please contact
Maxime Nama, Head of Public Information, namacirhibuka@un.org; +236 70 12 24 43
Vedaste Kalima, Head of Office, vedaste@un.org, + 236 70 60 10 66
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