The United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund allocates US$6 million to help newly food insecure people in CAR

Bangui, 31st January 2017 – The Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Stephen O'Brien, has approved the allocation of US$ 6 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), more than 3.5 billion CFA francs, to support the humanitarian response to new emergencies in the Central African Republic (CAR). This allocation will enable the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to assist 36,800 people in Kaga Bandoro, Bambari and Bria areas who are facing food insecurity due to the increasing number of crises in the last quarter of 2016.

The upsurge of violence in these regions has not only led to new displacements but also to a significant decline in commercial activities in urban areas. As a result, in these locations “the humanitarian community is deeply concerned that a crisis linked to the scarcity and soaring prices of essential foodstuffs will aggravate a situation that is already extremely worrying”, warned the Head of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in CAR, Joseph Inganji.

The CERF allocation, with approximately 3,600 tons of food, will meet urgent food needs for four months. In Bria and surrounding areas, 12,800 affected people will receive vital assistance, as well as 10,000 in Bambari, Grimari and the region, and 14,000 people in the Kaga Bandoro zone. This allocation was supported at large by the humanitarian community in CAR, the Humanitarian Coordinator and OCHA. Together, all stakeholders identified food security as an urgent need to be met for the target population. It is worth noting that advocacy involving the Central African authorities at the highest level was undertaken to alert the international community on the humanitarian crisis that continues to affect CAR beyond the need for food assistance.

The financial support of the CERF will partially cover the urgent humanitarian needs of newly displaced people with regards to food security. In addition to this provision, the Humanitarian Fund in CAR (HF) has triggered its emergency reserve mechanism on two occasions. The first time was in December 2016 with US$ 1 million in support of the response to the food crisis in Bria. The second time, in January 2017, the HF in CAR addressed complementary needs such as provision of shelter and non-food items, camp management, water, sanitation and hygiene, logistics, protection and health. The humanitarian community continues to advocate for the mobilization of additional funds to cover the remaining needs.

The United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund is one of the fastest and effective ways to support rapid humanitarian response for people affected by natural disasters and armed conflict. The Fund receives voluntary contributions throughout the year to provide immediate funding for lifesaving humanitarian action anywhere in the world.

For more information, please contact OCHA CAR
Joseph Inganji, Head of Office, +236 70738730, inganji@un.org
Yaye Nabo Séne, Chief, Public Information + 236 70 08 75 65, seney@un.org
Press releases are available on www.unocha.org or www.reliefweb.int