Of these, 2.4 million “have The need is so serious and complex that their survival and dignity are at risk,” Mohamed Ag Ayoya, UN Humanitarian Coordinator at CAR, told journalists in Geneva.
The conflict in neighboring Sudan exacerbated the need, and $465 million humanitarian plan for the country has been revised to include support for approximately 25,000 Sudanese and CAR citizens fleeing the war, as well as the local communities that host them.
“Ours The priority remains to support the most vulnerable parts of Central African society,” he said. “In addition, we will continue to support those affected by the epidemic. consequences of the conflict in Sudanboth from the displaced community and the host.
Displacement, flooding and underdevelopment
Mr. Ag Ayoya provided background information on the humanitarian crisis in CAR.
Repeated military confrontations between different armed groups have displaced 1 in 5 people from their homes, forcing them to seek refuge elsewhere in the country or across the border. .
Last year’s flood also affects more than 100,000 peoplenearly three times as many as before, and more than 6,000 houses destroyed.
“The country is also marked by decades of underinvestment in socioeconomic infrastructure, services and livelihoods,” he added.
“Basic services are often unavailable on people, worsening people’s living conditions and eroding their resilience to the point of forcing the adoption of negative coping mechanisms for the most part.”
A ‘devastating human cost’
The result is, three out of five citizens do not have access to safe drinking water and sanitation, and only 55% of children complete primary school.
There is also a “devastating human cost” like Every hour two women or girls become victims of gender-based violence. Nearly 5,000 cases were reported in the first quarter of the year alone.
Pressure of war and pandemic
He reported that the humanitarian situation had worsened due to the conflict in neighboring Sudan. Vulnerable families have found it difficult to meet their basic needs due to the combined impact of COVID-19 pandemic and the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“The arrival of nearly 14,000 repatriated Sudanese and Central African asylum seekers in the northeast, as well as the cessation of commercial traffic across the border, put further pressure on the limited resources available to 130,000 people. extremely vulnerable in the region,” he said. Ag Ayoya said.
Run with time
He also highlighted the difficulties in delivering humanitarian aid in the CAR, which is “often a race against time and the volatile security situation”.
During the rainy season, much of the country is inaccessible by road, requiring an air lift, while “as of 2022, approximately every second day, an aid worker suffers violence or security incident.”
Despite these challenges, humanitarian partners continue to find ways to support vulnerable communities, he said.
Mobilize for emergencies
Surname reach nearly two million people by 2022or more than 90 percent of those targeted and 658,000 people in the first three months of this year alone.
Aid partners are also quick to mobilize in the face of emergencies, he added.
“In the first few weeks after the start of the conflict in Sudan, humanitarian partners pre-ordered 155 tonnes of emergency goods in the northeast before the onset of the rainy season and have since distributed them,” he said. life-saving support”.
An addendum to the 2023 Humanitarian Response Plan for CAR has also been developed.
This was done to reflect an additional budget need of $69 million to assist approximately 25,000 people fleeing the war – both Sudanese citizens and returning citizens – and approximately 25,000 members of communities. local.
