Half of the population in the Central African Republic still need humanitarian assistance

(Geneva, 28 November 2016): Nearly half of the population in the Central African Republic (CAR) remain in need of humanitarian assistance despite progress made since the crisis in 2013, the Minister for Social Welfare and Reconciliation, Virginie Baikoua, and the Humanitarian Coordinator for CAR, Fabrizio Hochschild, told UN Member States in Geneva today.

Nearly US$400 million are required to meet the needs of 1.6 million Central Africans in 2017, according to the Humanitarian Response Plan for 2017 which complements the 5-year national recovery and stabilization plan that was launched by the Government in Brussels on 17 November. “Humanitarian efforts are critical to save lives of people who are among the poorest and most forgotten on this planet,” said Fabrizio Hochschild.

Despite its considerable agricultural potential, CAR has some of the highest chronic malnutrition rates in the world – almost one in two children - due to ongoing insecurity, poor access to clean water and health care, as well as lack of seeds and tools. Maternal and early childhood mortality rates are also among the highest in the world.

Since September 2016, new conflicts have erupted in many locations leading to hundreds of civilian casualties and the new displacement of tens of thousands of war weary Central Africans. One in ten Central Africans remains a refugee, the majority in neighbouring Cameroun.

However, of the close to one million people who were displaced within the country in early 2014, almost half have returned home. In this regard, Fabrizio Hochschild underscored that “humanitarian efforts are critical to stabilise the country while its pressing development, political and security needs are addressed”.