Impending food crisis in Central African Republic

(New York: 13 November 2003): United Nations agencies in the Central African Republic (CAR) have warned that the country could experience a severe food crisis within the next four months.
"The Central African Republic could experience an acute food crisis by February or March if no action is taken," said Samuel Nana-Sinkam, of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in the CAR.

He said that the people of CAR, the majority of whom are farmers, had to eat their seed supplies before fleeing an armed rebellion in the country from October 2002 until 15 March 2003. The six months of hostilities caused the displacement of an estimated 1.5 million people out of a total population of 3.8 million. Though many have now returned to their home areas, roughly 200,000 people remain internally displaced. In addition, some 40,000 Central Africans remain refugees in southern Chad, unable to return because of roadblocks.

In the aftermath of internal conflict earlier this year, many Central Africans are living in very serious humanitarian conditions. The lack of access to supplies from the capital has deprived the local population of basic commodities and basic health services whose infrastructure has been consistently looted. People living in the Centre and North regions (occupied areas) and the East (isolated areas) have been exposed to disease and the risk of epidemics, malnutrition, especially among children, and a widespread degradation in living conditions, which jeopardize their very survival.

In April of 2003, the UN launched a Flash Appeal to mobilize sufficient resources to meet the enormous needs of the 2.2 million inhabitants of CAR's rural areas. Some 400,000 of those people in need are children under five. Through the appeal, UN agencies seek to make available basic social services seriously compromised by five months of armed conflict. The Appeal also seeks to provide seeds and other vital agricultural inputs to farmers.

To date just 20 per cent of the $9 million required under the Flash Appeal have been received, and all of those contributions are for food aid. UN humanitarian agencies fear that a failure to address humanitarian needs in other sectors like health and agriculture will jeopardize the consolidation of peace in CAR.

In order to meet anticipated needs for 2004, UN agencies will launch a Consolidated Appeal for CAR on 19 November in Geneva. The Appeal will include programmes in health and education, as well as measures to ensure food security. Additional funds would also be needed to help provide security for humanitarian operations, and to help build national crisis response capacities and coordination.