More than half of the population in Central Africa will need humanitarian assistance in 2018

Bangui, 24 January 2018 – The humanitarian crisis that the Central African Republic endured last year persists. Due to violence perpetrated by armed groups, more than one in four Central Africans is either internally displaced or a refugee. In one year, the number of internally displaced persons has increased by more than 70 percent since the first quarter of 2017. This has prevented thousands of children from enjoying their basic right to education. The combination of these factors means that by 2018, 2.5 million Central Africans will need humanitarian assistance.

In order to meet humanitarian needs, the Central African Government and the Humanitarian Country Team officially launched on January 24th the $ 515.6 million (CFAF 275.7 billion) 2018 Humanitarian Response Plan.

On this occasion, despite a relatively bleak humanitarian situation, the Humanitarian Coordinator,
Najat Rochdi, called upon the international community to remain confident and optimistic to the end of the crisis in the Central African Republic. The resilience of Central Africans, the commitment of the international community to CAR and that of humanitarian workers are key catalysts to implement the Humanitarian response plan simultaneously with the National Plan for Recovery and Peace Consolidation (RCPCA), she indicated.

In order to achieve this goal, Najat Rochdi emphasized that "the situation requires greater attention more than ever". A synergy of national and international efforts would allow all "accompany the country in its march towards the well-being of the population, peace and development" insisted the Humanitarian Coordinator.

In 2017, thanks to the support of donors and the unwavering commitment of the humanitarian community, $255 million has been mobilized for the humanitarian response in Central African Republic. These contributions have helped deliver assistance to more than one million crisis-affected people with emergency food supplies and to more than half a million people with emergency food assistance. More than 7,000 tons of humanitarian assistance have been delivered to the most vulnerable people throughout the country. Over60,000 children have benefited from educational activities in displacement sites and host communities. These goals were achieved, thanks to the generous contributions of all donors who have saved so many lives and permitted "the return of smiles on the faces of these children," said Najat Rochdi.

However, a humanitarian response could not be provided for all the needs due to the lack of sufficient funds. In this regard, Ms. Rochdi called on the international community to go an extra mile of commitment in order to offer a better future to the children, women and men of the Central African Republic.

Pour plus d’informations, veuillez contacter OCHA RCA
Joseph Inganji, Chef de bureau, +236 70 73 87 30, inganji@un.org
Yaye Nabo Sène, Cheffe de section, Information publique + 236 70 08 75 65, seney@un.org
Les communiqués de presses d’OCHA sont disponibles sur www.unocha.org ou www.reliefweb.int