Central African Republic (2024)

The southeastern part of the country has been the scene of community conflicts and fight for resource control involving several armed groups since 2017, with devastating consequences for local populations.

A region grappling with violence

The extreme southeast of the country faces numerous challenges such as the lack of investment in infrastructure, the absence of basic social services, and the very weak presence of defense and security forces. This creates a conducive environment for the proliferation of armed groups that are regularly involved in violence against local populations. The locality of Bakouma, which hosts the highest number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Mbomou, has also been the target of several armed group attacks, leading to the suspension of humanitarian activities. Humanitarian needs in Mbomou had already increased by 4 per cent, with nearly 170,000 people in need of humanitarian assistance and protection.

The healthcare system is suffering

Since the beginning of this year, clashes between national forces and armed groups have escalated, directly impacting the living conditions of the residents.

On several occasions, armed elements have occupied the Nzacko medical center, severely disrupting essential health services for vulnerable populations. In April, the security situation in Bakouma and its surroundings significantly deteriorated following repeated incidents. Civilians, including healthcare workers, have been deliberately targeted and killed, further compromising humanitarian access along the Bangassou-Bakouma axis, depriving over 4,400 residents of medical care. An ambulance was hijacked while transporting a patient to Bangassou. The presence of armed groups near Bakouma creates panic among the population and prevents significant humanitarian presence in the region, due to frequent security incidents such as robberies and ambushes. Humanitarian organizations have no choice but to withdraw from the area or conduct pendulum movements.

The secondary hospital in Bakouma, the only healthcare facility in the locality, faces significant challenges in meeting the growing medical needs from victims of violence. A humanitarian organization delivered some first aid kits to the hospital, but resources remain limited in the face of overwhelming needs.

Disastrous consequences

One of the most severe repercussions of insecurity is the disruption of essential health services, particularly for 3,000 people targeted by humanitarian assistance in Bakouma. This year, in the Prefecture of Mbomou, humanitarian actors plan to provide health assistance to over 27,000 of the most vulnerable individuals. Armed clashes often lead to the temporary closure of health centers and hospitals, depriving local communities of vital medical care. Medical teams are forced to suspend their activities, sometimes fleeing conflict zones for their own safety, leaving behind desperate and vulnerable populations.

Approximately 4,000 people displaced by recent incursions of armed groups have not received required humanitarian assistance due to access issues along the Bangassou-Bakouma axis. Vaccination campaigns and other humanitarian services have been suspended, further exposing people to health risks.

According to the Population Movement Commission report, as of 31 March, 2024, the Prefecture of Mbomou hosted nearly 33,700 IDPs, with 800 seeking refuge in dedicated sites. Urgent measures are needed to address this escalating humanitarian crisis.

From January to May 2024, 58 incidents affected humanitarian workers.The operating environment in the Central African Republic (CAR) remains among the most challenging for humanitarian actors, but civilians remain the main victims of armed tension and violence. In May 2024, 11 incidents affected humanitarian actors, an 8 per cent decrease compared to last April when 12 incidents were recorded. The prefecture of Haut-Mbomou was the most affected with two cases of interference and one case of robbery.

The month of May recorded six cases of robberies, one case of burglary and four cases of interference. Cases of robbery were reported in areas where several military operations were carried out.

Gender-based violence (GBV) has reached alarming proportions in the Central African Republic (CAR), particularly in the wake of the crisis that has been afflicting the country for several years. This situation is exacerbated by socio-cultural norms that are unfavorable to women and girls, despite the existence of policies and legislation. Violence against civilians and insecurity in localities outside urban centers continue to increase the vulnerability of several million people, including women, whose livelihoods are being eroded and whose access to food and basic services, including health care and water, is severely limited. 2.8 million people - 46 per cent of the population – are so vulnerable in 2024 that humanitarian assistance alone is not sufficient to restore their well-being.

An alarming rise

Although internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees are often the most visible face of the crisis in CAR, GBV, especially sexual violence, has recently reached particularly worrying levels. Every hour in CAR, two people are victims of GBV, mostly women and girls. In the first quarter of this year alone, almost 5,000 cases of GBV (37 per cent of sexual violence, 25 per cent of physical assault, 18 per cent of deprivation of resources, 18 per cent of psychological violence, 2 per cent of forced marriage) were reported. 97 per cent of survivors are women and girls. Among the types of GBV, cases of sexual violence (37 per cent) remain the most reported. According to statistics from the Gender-Based Violence Information Management System (GBVIMS) collected by dedicated services in 2023, reported GBV incidents had increased by 1,910 cases, which is an 8 per cent rise compared to 23,644 cases reported in 2022. The prolonged humanitarian crisis, which causes increasing stress within households, leads to the adoption of negative coping mechanisms such as survival sex and early marriage of girls, exacerbating GBV and predominantly affecting thousands of women and girls.

Surviving or facing risks

This is the challenging choice that many women sometimes have to make in CAR, in a context where access to livelihoods such as fields, as well as to basic services such as water and health care, is severely restricted by insecurity resulting from the conflict. The annual multi-sectoral humanitarian needs assessments indicated a feeling of insecurity for at least 25 per cent of surveyed households, showing risks for women and girls in accessing water, wood collection areas, and other distribution points. These locations are of critical importance for the daily survival of households, yet they particularly expose women and girls to high risks of GBV, including sexual violence, sexual exploitation and abuse, domestic violence, survival sex, forced marriage, and denial of resources, among others.

A challenge for available resources

In the 2024 first quarter, only 28 per cent of GBV survivors received psychosocial support and medical care within the required 72 hours, 14.5 per cent received legal assistance and only 4.5 per cent received livelihood assistance. In February, the Humanitarian Coordinator allocated US$ 3 million from the CAR Humanitarian Fund to address the gap in GBV interventions and foster innovation, which represents 25 per cent of required funding for the GBV area of responsibility under the 2024 Humanitarian Response Plan. Due to the lack of funding, many if subjected to GBV do not receive timely and required services and assistance they deserve. Attacks on health infrastructures by parties to the conflict make it also difficult for GBV survivors to receive medical assistance, and for the population as a whole to access health care services. Confrontations between parties to the conflict have led to the closure of a number of health facilities, depriving thousands of life-saving health care services. For instance, in April, armed clashes in the south-east region deprived 5,000 people of medical care.

Insecurity in certain parts of the country and natural disasters, along with massive population displacements, remain the main factors of the humanitarian crisis in the Central African Republic (CAR). This, combined with insecurity in southern neighboring Chad and the war in Sudan have triggered largest population movements towards CAR. In 2024, 2.8 million people are extremely vulnerable in CAR that humanitarian assistance alone is not sufficient to restore their well-being. Among them,1.9 million are targeted by the current Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP).

The CAR Humanitarian Fund (CAR HF) received a total of US$13 million this year, representing 14 per cent of the funding received under the 2024 Humanitarian Response Plan. Through a reserve allocation of $3.5 million, the CAR HF allocated $3 million in February for the response against gender-based violence, targeting more than 74,000 people and thus representing 25 per cent of the sector’s financial target for 2024. This allocation also allowed for an emergency international resupply of inputs to take care of nearly 4,000 children suffering from moderate acute malnutrition. These responses are currently being implemented through seven projects carried out by seven partners. Among them, three National non-governmental organizations (NNGO) directly received more than 27 per cent of the funds.

Between January and May, the OCHA CAR Humanitarian Financing Unit: 1) organized two in-person meetings with the CAR HF Advisory Committee, including one during the visit of the OCHA Donor Support Group (ODSG) in April, 2) trained 142 participants from NNGOs, 9 per cent of whom work in Women-Led Organizations (WLOs) on different topics p, 3) conducted capacity assessments of 32 NGOs, including 25 NNGOs. A total of 14 were deemed eligible for future CAR HF funding, including 5 WLOs

Accidents involving landmines and other explosive ordnance have taken on increasing proportions in the Central African Republic (CAR) since 2021, particularly in the west.

An alarming rise

In 2023, 27 people, including 19 civilians were killed in 82 incidents and accidents involving explosive devices. The number of people killed and incidents has increased by 15 and 24 per cent respectively compared with 2022. The last three years have shown a significant increase compared to 2020, when only two incidents with no casualties were registered*.

In the first half of 2024, 14 people, including seven civilians, were killed in 33 incidents and accidents involving explosive devices. Civilians are the main victims of explosive devices in CAR. More than three quarters of the victims in 2023 were civilians, including 19 children. The most affected region over the past three years remains the western part of the country, notably the prefectures of Ouham, Ouham-Pendé, Nana-Mambéré, and Mambéré-Kadei.

For the first time in CAR, anti-personnel mines were discovered in 2022 near Bambari in the Ouaka Prefecture. The population found them and reported to the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) and MINUSCA, which destroyed the devices before they could harm someone. Anti-personnel mines are prohibited under the Anti-personnel Mine Ban Convention, which has been in force in CAR since 2003.

In July 2020, the suspected use of anti-vehicle mines was first reported in the country since the UN peacekeeping mission MINUSCA was established in 2014. One of the suspected devices damaged a MINUSCA tank near the border with Cameroon.

Without distinction

The victims are diverse: a family, children, farmers, a humanitarian worker, merchants, armed elements, UN peacekeepers, soldiers and priests. Explosive devices that detonate by the presence, proximity or contact of a person cannot distinguish between civilians and combatants, raising important concerns about the principles of distinction and proportionality under international humanitarian law.

Restricting humanitarian access and socioeconomic activities

The presence or suspected presence of explosive devices severely limits humanitarian access to vulnerable people in a context already marked by access restrictions due to armed conflict and physical access constraints.

In the prefectures of Ouham, Ouham-Pendé, Nana-Mambéré, and Mambéré-Kadei in the west of the country, nearly 770,000 people in need targeted by humanitarian actors in 2024 are at risk of having their assistance delayed or suspended, particularly in the sectors of food security, nutrition, access to drinking water, and protection, including against gender-based violence. Even if assistance by air can be considered, it remains limited due to its high cost and operational priorities.

Civilians who use various roads and pathways to run their income-generating activities and to access livelihoods, such as farming, are severely restricted in their movements in this region where food insecurity remains critical.

In this context, the presence of security and demining actors remains essential for the protection of civilians and the implementation of humanitarian operations.

Protecting civilians and humanitarian workers

Thanks to funding from the CAR Humanitarian Fund, the NGO Humanity & Inclusion (HI) conducted in 2022 and 2023 awareness-raising sessions on the danger of explosive devices for the most vulnerable people in the area of Bocaranga and Koui (Ouham-Pendé Prefecture), one of the most affected regions in the country, and taught them safe behavior to reduce risks they face. Education sessions in villages reached 5,850 people, including 3,140 children. Special attention was given to the inclusion of people with disabilities, women, girls, and the elderly, and language barriers and illiteracy were addressed, for example, by adapting outreach materials and methods to ensure that all people have access to vital information about explosive devices. In addition, HI trained 40 humanitarian workers in Ouham-Pendé on the risks associated with explosive devices.

The two implemented projects facilitated the dissemination of key messages on explosive device education using various communication channels, including billboards and radio broadcasts. The latter were designed using a community-based approach to empower the community to design and record context-sensitive radio messages, broadcast in five local languages on MBILI community radio, which is widely listened to in large parts of Ouham-Pendé.

Another project underway since November 2023, a nine-month project, led by Humanity & Inclusion (HI) and funded by the CAR Humanitarian Fund has been supporting the institutional and programmatic strengthening of two local women's organizations, Zo Kwe Zo (ZKZ) and the Association for Women and Entrepreneurship Promotion (AWEP), through training, coaching, and support for coordination and bases. This is the first time that two national organizations have been accredited to conduct risk education activities on explosive devices.

In 2023, UNMAS reached 13,470 people, including 3,850 children, with an awareness-raising campaign on the threat of explosive devices in Bouar and Bambari. Information signs were set up at strategic locations, drawings and photos showed the precautions to take to avoid explosive devices, how to mark and report them to demining organizations. UNMAS also organized explosive device awareness-raising sessions for more than 428 humanitarian and UN staff.

Despite the awareness campaigns that have been organized, there is a need to strengthen risk education given the magnitude of the problem. Additional resources may be needed to expand the reach of risk education projects for children, women, and men in the most affected areas.

Watch a video on the danger of explosive devices in western CAR here.

* According to the Mine Action Area of Responsibility (MA AoR) activated on 27 April 2023 in CAR as part of the protection of individuals against the risks of explosion in humanitarian emergency situations and the promotion of inclusive, local, and sustainable solutions.

Despite the limited resources for humanitarian response in the Central African Republic (CAR), from January to March 2024, 12 humanitarian partners with funding of US$ 6.6 million were able to assist 153,000 people in need across 22 sub-prefectures. This represents 9.5 percent of the 1.6 million people targeted for Cash Transfer (CT) assistance in the Humanitarian Response Plan 2024.

Compared to the same period in 2023, the amount of cash transfer assistance provided by humanitarian actors has slightly increased by 7.6 percent (US$ 6.6 million versus US$ 6.1 million). However, the number of people assisted fell by 43 percent (153,000 versus 354,000). This decline also affects the number of sub-prefectures covered by cash transfers. This low proportion of people assisted, concerning the amount received, is largely explained by the increase in operational costs following generalized inflation in 2023, which forced some actors to reduce their initial programmatic targets.

Compared with the same period in 2023, electronic transfers remain the most-used modality used modality in the first quarter of 2024 (80,200 people assisted vs. 51,000), compared with coupons (1,500 people assisted vs. 43,800 in 2023) and direct cash transfers (35,400 people assisted vs. 194,000).

More secure and convenient than other methods, the cost of electronic transfers is lower, and the money is generally transferred within a few hours, to any location and at any time if an Internet connection is available.

In neighboring Sudan, clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have continued since the beginning of the conflict in April 2023, resulting in massive displacement of population. More than a year of brutal fighting is driving a hunger crisis in Sudan, with some areas likely to experience catastrophic levels of food insecurity by the lean season. In August 2023, the Central African government signed a decree granting prima facie refugee status to Sudanese fleeing the conflict.

Since April 2023, 31,649 forcibly displaced people from Sudan have arrived in CAR, including 25,491 Sudanese refugees and 6,158 Central African returnees (former CAR refugees in Sudan). A total of 16,968 (6,764 households) Sudanese refugees have been biometrically registered and live in 13 localities, mostly in hard-to-reach locations outside Vakaga prefecture and need protection and assistance. 213 new arrivals (91 families) were recorded in Korsi, Birao, bringing the number of refugees to 12,748. Since January, 8,972 new arrivals have been registered in Korsi. The registration of an estimated 3,500 newly arrived refugees continues in Bria and Sam Ouandja (Haute Kotto prefecture), Ippy in Ouaka prefecture and Mboki in Haut-Mbomou prefecture. As of 1st June, UNHCR and the National Commission for Refugees (CNR) have registered 565 Sudanese refugees (225 families), among which 268 refugees (92 families) are in Bria and 297 refugees (133 families) in Ippy.

Economic consequences

As a result of insecurity along the border area, traffic between Sudan and the Central African Republic (CAR) has been severely disrupted, causing a sharp increase in the price of basic commodities. Sudan supplies several towns in CAR, particularly Birao in Vakaga Prefecture and Ndélé in Bamingui-Bangoran Prefecture. During the rainy season from April to October, access is very challenged and supplies largely depend on Sudan. For some items, prices have doubled at the onset of the crisis. A 50 kg bag of sugar, which was sold for XAF 40,000 before the conflict, rose to XAF 80,000 in Birao. Similarly, a small bowl of millet, previously sold for XAF 500 was priced at XAF 1,000. Subsequently, humanitarian community intervention helped establish some price stability by supplying several tons of certain products from Bangui to Birao. The northern region of CAR was already experiencing acute food insecurity, a situation that is projected to reach one of its most severe stages if an adequate response is not forthcoming.

Facing additional needs

In 2024, 913,000 individuals will be extremely vulnerable to the extent that humanitarian assistance alone is not sufficient for their well-being in the northern region of the country, encompassing the prefectures of Vakaga, Bamingui-Bangoran, Ouham, Ouham-Pende, and Nana-Gribizi. They numbered over a million (1,093,000) in 2023. This decrease is mainly due to the reduction in the number of shocks faced by the populations, such as clashes between conflicting parties and the resulting population movements. Despite the decrease, attacks against civilians persist, forcing the population to seek refuge elsewhere. Conflicts in neighboring Sudan and Chad have also impacted the vulnerability of populations, increasing the magnitude of needs in the northeast and northwest regions.

Humanitarian response

In 2023, the humanitarian community airlifted emergency multi-sector assistance to Birao, as part of the stock pre-positioning plan implemented every year in northern CAR, where access is extremely limited during the rainy season from April to November. In June 2023, the UNHCR relocated refugees and spontaneous returnees from Am-Dafock to Birao, a safer area identified by authorities further away from the border with Sudan. 2,286 people have relocated to the Korsi site in Birao, and authorities have granted 300 hectares of farmland to refugees to facilitate their integration. Assisted relocation has been suspended, as the road between Am-Dafock and Birao becomes impassable during the current rainy season, but spontaneous relocation movements have been recorded.

The humanitarian response continued at the Korsi site in Birao, Ndele and Sam-Ouandja. NGOs, UN agencies and other international organizations distributed food, essential household items, provided clean water, built emergency shelters and latrines, provided health care, education and protection support.

In 2024, according to the UNHCR’s Regional Refugee Response Plan (RRP), US$ 46.2 million are required to respond to preliminary needs of 40,000 refugees, 3,300 returnees, and 28,000 members of host communities. In its first phase, partners will continue to collaborate with the government to ensure access to territory, asylum, and provide support to individuals requiring international protection. The principle of "do no harm" will be at the core of the response.

In its second phase, emphasis will be placed on continuing refugee relocation activities from insecure border areas to the Korsi zone. Cash assistance will be provided to enhance the ability to meet specific needs and reduce the likelihood of individuals and households resorting to harmful coping strategies. The listening centers will remain operational to address gender-based violence prevention, along with the provision of Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) kits for HIV, frontline worker training, and community member training. Food distribution, clean water provision, emergency shelter, healthcare services, and essential relief items such as mosquito nets and hygiene kits will be ensured at entry points.

In its third phase, partners will also direct their response towards building resilience, livelihoods, and economic inclusion. This will include supporting local organizations with agricultural inputs and necessary tools, enhancing existing skills by leveraging local resources while establishing links with existing businesses to create economic opportunities.

Decrease in Humanitarian Funding

In 2024, the situation remains concerning, with 2.8 million people – 46 per cent of the population – who are extremely vulnerable to the extent that humanitarian assistance alone is not sufficient for their well-being.

The humanitarian community aims to provide vital multisectoral assistance to 1.9 million of the most vulnerable Central Africans and calls for the mobilization of US$ 367.7 million, in a global context of decreasing humanitarian funding. The capacity to absorb additional needs is very limited.

Though there is relative improvement in the humanitarian context, populations in the Central African Republic continue to face insecurity and threats to their well-being: one in five Central Africans is an internal displaced person or a refugee in the neighboring countries.

In 2024, 2.8 million Central Africans are so vulnerable that humanitarian assistance alone will not suffice to restore their well-being. 1.9 million of them, who are extremely vulnerable, are targeted through the Humanitarian Response Plan. From January to March 2024, humanitarian actors provided life-saving assistance to 768,216 people (of which 399,608 women and 368,608 men) at least once in one of the key sectors including food security, health, protection, water, hygiene and sanitation (WASH), Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM), shelter/non-food, items (NFI), and education. This represents a 15 per cent increase in the number of persons assisted compared to the same period in 2023.

Funding requirements for the 2024 humanitarian response are estimated at US$ 367,7 million. As of 31 March, only 27 per cent have been mobilized, leaving a gap of US$ 265.5 million. Five months after the launch of the HRP, the CCCM, Shelter and NFI sectors as well as the Mine Action area of responsibility have not received any funding.

The full CAR Humanitarian Dashboard can be downloaded here.

As of March 2024, the Central African Republic had an estimated 521 857 internally displaced person (IDPs). Among them 18 per cent (93 806) lived in sites while 82 per cent (428 051) lived in host families. This represents an increase of 0,3 per cent (1 797 IDPs) in terms of movement compared to the month of February 2024.

New displacements were reported in areas heavily affected by violence such as the prefectures of Ouham (Kabo and Markounda), Nana-Gribizi (Mbrès), Haut-Mbomou (Zémio) and Mbomou (Bakouma) where armed groups carried out frequent attacks against the population while clashes between these armed groups and the FACA contributed to a climate of fear.

Voluntary returns reported in March 2024 were driven by improved security in the areas of origin. The most significant returns were recorded in the prefectures of Kaga Bandoro (367) and Bria (3953).

More than 38, 000 people, mostly women and children, including 6, 235 Central African returnees arrived from Chad in the Central African Republic (CAR) since April 2023 in the Sub-prefectures of Paoua, in the Lim-Pendé Prefecture, and Markounda, in the Ouham Prefecture in the north-west of the country, fleeing intercommunal conflicts involving an armed group. They are staying with host families, themselves living in one of the country's most vulnerable situations, while others have managed to return to Chad. To provide better protection to asylum-seekers, the government had identified Betoko as a reception site, and its development is underway in partnership with humanitarian partners to accommodate 10,000 people.

A protection crisis

Since the end of 2022, incursions by this armed group, against a backdrop of inter-community tensions particularly related to transhumance, have undermined the protection of the region's populations. Several civilians have been killed, among others for belonging to one or the other of the communities close to one or the other of the parties to the conflict. Commercial transactions in this border region is disrupted by insecurity resulting from various armed incursions and the levying of additional taxes, increasing price of food and non-food products by up to 50 per cent. Food insecurity in the region is among the most critical in the country, and access to fields for asylum-seekers and residents remains severely limited. In May 2023, CAR and Chad launched joint military operations to protect civilians on both sides of the border. A month later, a high-level delegation comprising the Prime Minister and Senior Officials from the United Nations and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) visited Bedaka in the Paoua Sub-prefecture to assess the scale of the situation.

Humanitarian needs have exploded

This population movement occured in a region where humanitarian needs were already among the most severe in the country, and resources to cope with additional needs are becoming increasingly limited. In 2024, Lim-Pendé remains the prefecture with the highest number of people in need of assistance, which was also the case the previous year. According to the Humanitarian Needs Overview, 401,000 people are extremely vulnerable to the extent that humanitarian assistance alone is not sufficient for their well-being, with the arrival of asylum seekers further increasing the burden. Pressure on existing infrastructure and basic services in host communities has also increased. According to local authorities, the number of inhabitants in some villages has increased almost tenfold. As a result, access to water, hygiene and sanitation (WASH), as well as health, has become problematic. In the locality of Bembere, Sub-prefecture of Paoua, the minimum distance to the nearest health facility is 7 km. Faced with this situation, which can lead to tensions between host communities and asylum-seekers, strengthening mechanisms for the prevention and management of inter-community conflicts is necessary for the implementation of emergency aid programs.

Deploying the response

Since June 2023, the humanitarian community has been providing multi-sectoral assistance in the Sub-prefecture of Paoua, as well as in Markounda, regions hosting asylum-seekers. This response also covers host families. Humanitarian workers distributed food rations to 29,200 asylum-seekers and host families. These rations covered 30 days' worth of food. Additionally, cash has been distributed to over 350 households, including 250 households among the most vulnerable asylum seekers at the Betoko site, and the rest to host families. There are still unmet needs in the distribution of seeds to provide asylum-seekers' families with alternative food sources. More than 840 families in Bedaka and surrounding areas have received non-food items (NFI) including tarpaulins, soap, water purifiers, buckets, sanitary towels, clothes and shoes. Some of these families also received emergency shelters. There are still unmet needs in the NFI and shelter sectors for several hundred asylum-seeking families and their host families.

To improve access to drinking water and sanitation in Bedaka, humanitarian actors have rehabilitated 16 boreholes, built latrines and showers, distributed water purifiers and hygiene kits, and conducted awareness-raising activities for communities on good hygiene and sanitation practices. In six other villages, water facilities need rehabilitation. In addition to repairing water points in host villages, six wells with water towers are also operational at the Betoko site. Humanitarian partners have also provided health centers in Begouladje, Bedaya, Bedam, Betoko and Markounda with medicines and medical equipment to treat asylum-seekers free of charge, including for malnutrition. Among other things, this support helped vaccinating through mobile clinics children under five. In this region, this age group was not vaccinated in 40 per cent of households. It has also helped to contain the peaks in malaria cases typical of the rainy season (April-October), through the distribution of insecticide-impregnated mosquito nets.

In March 2024, humanitarian partners had already built 1,250 shelters, 800 of which are currently occupied by 800 families, while 450 others are awaiting the arrival of new asylum seekers from Markounda and the areas north of Paoua. Additionally, 14 blocks of latrines and showers are operational at the Betoko site.

There are still unmet needs in emergency education, as six schools are non-functional, and those that are functional have low intake capacity. Asylum-seeking children have fallen behind in their education during their flight. Several children need to be reintegrated into school. Among them, 510 children are enrolled in primary and middle schools in Betoko. Registrations continue as households arrive at the Betoko site.

To respond to cases of gender-based violence, particularly rape, humanitarian actors are raising awareness of prevention among asylum-seekers and host communities, supporting referral of survivors to dedicated care facilities and distributing dignity kits. Most asylum-seekers, including children, have no civil documentation, and humanitarian actors plan to provide necessary support. The implementation of community-based protection mechanisms is also one of the protection needs to be addressed.

The humanitarian community aims to provide vital multisectoral assistance to 1.9 million of the most vulnerable Central Africans and calls for the mobilization of US$ 367.7 million, in a global context of decreasing humanitarian funding. The capacity to absorb additional needs is very limited.

Internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Batangafo in the Ouham Prefecture in the west of the country, have just spent 10 years at dedicated sites. Despite a voluntary return process for households originating from Batangafo center and the Bouca axis, 901 households of 3,656[i] displaced persons still remain at these sites. The latter had been created in 2014 at the height of the Central African conflict, to host the population of Batangafo and neighboring villages seeking refuge. With this extended stay at IDP sites, some of them are calling for assistance to return to their place of origin and resume a normal life, but the decision is not easily coming. Due to insecurity, one in five Central Africans is currently internally displaced or has found refuge abroad, mainly in neighbouring countries.

Violence against civilians and insecurity outside urban centers continue to impact the well-being of several million Central Africans, who see their livelihoods deteriorate and their access to food, drinking water and many other basic services, including healthcare, drastically limited. 2.8 million people - or 46 per cent of the population - will be extremely vulnerable in 2024, to the extent that humanitarian assistance alone will not be sufficient for their well-being.

Born and raised in a site for internally displaced persons.

Reine Koutigué celebrated her tenth birthday, at the same time as the Baga site in Batangafo where she was born and still lives. Thanks to humanitarian actors’ support at the Batangafo hospital, Reine's mother was able to receive the care she needed from the antenatal period through delivery. But on her birthday, she did not blow out candles like other children, or did receive best wishes messages. Unfortunately, it was just another day like any other, punctuated with promiscuity that is destabilizing for a child of her age. The little girl has never lived in a traditional habitat, such as the village where her parents' home was located.

Currently in 4th grade, Reine dreams of a career in health care to look after her brothers and sisters. "I don't want my brothers to die. I'm going to look after them when I grow up. That's why I'd like to work in a hospital," she said. Like Reine, many other children were born and are now growing up in the Baga site. According to testimonies, some of these children do not act like those born in a traditional habitat and behave somewhat differently.

"I sometimes find him lonely, sometimes aggressive, and I think this could be linked to the environment in which he's growing up", explained Emmanuel Mokpême, father of little Edouard, who like Reine will celebrate his tenth birthday soon. The youngster dreams of becoming a teacher, but his father has some doubts about his child's ability to concentrate compared to other children born and raised in a classic village. "It's the lack of landmarks, of games, of role models, of a normal day-to-day life that's doing all this," added Emmanuel, who would like to see his son grow up out of the IDP site.

Plans to return tested by resources and insecurity.

The decision to return is not without its difficulties for IDPs. Following improvement in the security situation, some IDPs decide to return to their villages, but need resources to resettle. During displacement, homes are either dilapidated or looted and sometimes burnt down by parties to the conflict. In other situations, IDPs have to choose between staying at the sites, returning to their places of origin because they are tired of living in precarious conditions, even if security conditions are not very reassuring, or staying at the sites because they have nothing left in their places of origin. "We no longer have a house. We came from the town of Bouca, 90 km from Batangafo. And going back is no longer possible because of insecurity," said Sabé Isaï, who has been living on the Baga IDP site for almost 10 years. In August 2023, around 489,000 IDPs were registered in the Central African Republic (CAR). 120,500 are living in sites, and 368,300 are staying in host families. A total of 227,000 people have returned to their villages in the last 12 months, mainly as a result of improved security situation.

Adapting the humanitarian response

Based on specificities of each region, the humanitarian community implements emergency assistance and/or support for the voluntary return of IDPs, in partnership with other actors. The humanitarian situation in the CAR is volatile, and regions once considered stable can suddenly shift into humanitarian emergency zones. Humanitarian actors are adapting their response based on this context, and are collaborating with other actors, notably on programs to support voluntary return.

Support for voluntary returns is one of the four axes of the intervention strategy of the 2024 Humanitarian Response Plan. In 2023, humanitarian actors facilitated the voluntary return of over 1,220 households, comprising 4,467 displaced persons, to Batangafo center, notably by providing transitional shelters, rehabilitating water, hygiene and sanitation facilities, supplying essential household items and supporting income-generating activities for returning households. Alongside the US Agency for International Development's (USAID) Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA), the Humanitarian Fund for CAR is one of the key donors for this vital initial support for returnees. To date, it has disbursed over US$ 2.6 million. Once resettled, returnees have other needs for which emergency assistance is no longer adapted, requiring intervention of other types of actors, notably to rebuild basic social services.

[i] Report of the Population Movement Commission (PMC) of March 2024

Already one of the prefectures most affected by a decade of conflict and structural problems, Haut-Mbomou has seen its security and humanitarian situation progressively deteriorate over the past year. Two armed groups have been clashing against the backdrop of community conflicts and control of resources, with devastating consequences for the population. In 2024, more than 80 per cent of the Prefecture's inhabitants will be in urgent need of humanitarian assistance and protection.

Civilians paying the heaviest price

Since the beginning of the year, following clashes between these armed groups, an unknown number of civilians were killed, houses were burnt and over 4,300 people were displaced from Mboki and are currently taking refuge in the region of Zémio in the neighbouring Mbomou prefecture. Some 1,950 of these people are said to have crossed the border into the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In recent months, several attacks have been reported on the Zemio-Mboki axis, specifically targeting individuals based on their ethnic or religious background. As a result of persistent insecurity, access to markets and basic services such as healthcare is currently very limited for the population, whose humanitarian needs remain among the highest in the country, particularly in terms of food security. Additionally, humanitarian activities have been suspended in the sub-prefecture, and physical access problems to several villages are observed during the rainy season (April to October) due to flooding and associated high risk of population movements associated.

Health particularly affected

In May 2023, armed men looted the base and pharmacy of the NGO providing healthcare in Mboki, resulting in a total shortage of essential medicines. The Kadjemah health post was also looted and destroyed. Following the resulting insecurity, the NGO teams were evacuated from Mboki. Furthermore, armed men issued death threats against healthcare personnel and humanitarian workers. A midwife was killed for allegedly supporting one of the parties to the conflict. In early 2024, health posts in Maboussou and Gpabou were looted by armed men. Rehabilitation work at the Mboki health center was suspended, as were humanitarian activities in the area. As a result of these acts of violence, 80% of the population living along the Zemio-Mboki axis sought refuge in the bush. Currently, there is no physical humanitarian presence in Mboki. This insecurity has also resulted in a decline in the utilization of healthcare services, including in refuge areas, notably in Zemio and Mboki. Reproductive health services and vaccination activities are particularly affected, while risks of a resurgence of measles epidemics and peaks in malaria cases are high. Assisted childbirths have fallen by over 55 per cent, in a country with the fifth-highest maternal mortality rate in the world (829 deaths per 100,000 live births).

An emergency humanitarian response

In May 2023, humanitarian organizations provided healthcare to internally displaced persons in Zemio, particularly in primary and reproductive healthcare. Among other things, they have provided the Zémio Health Center with medical supplies to meet the needs of around 1,400 people, notably for the treatment of sexually transmitted infections and post-rape situations. Since the beginning of this year, humanitarian organizations have undertaken several initiatives to address the needs of vulnerable populations. Each month, around 500 households receive cash distributions, and Cash for Work (CFW) programs are implemented. Additionally, coordination and site management activities have been conducted, including household registration and site layout. The ongoing response also includes the rehabilitation of boreholes and wells to enable displaced persons to access drinking water, the distribution of food seeds to nearly 450 households, and the establishment of a "Child-Friendly Space" in the communities of Banangui and Maboussou. Furthermore, training sessions on child protection have been conducted for over 15 individuals in the communities of Zemio center, Feinzane, Kamanda, and Gouyanga. The objective of these efforts is to assist 3,150 of the most vulnerable individuals. Given the scale of the needs at national level and the context that is undergoing new developments, notably with the impact of the Sudan crisis in the north of the country, as well as the challenges related to the transportation of necessary supplies for project implementation, the capacity to absorb additional needs is becoming increasingly limited.

Fragile protection

Despite ongoing assistance, protection remains the main priority for populations who can no longer access their fields, the main source of their survival. The return of people currently displaced continues to face a number of protection challenges, particularly in terms of freedom of movement, including the risk of being used as human shield by parties to the conflict, and access to means of subsistence. Civilians also continue to suffer reprisals, including killings, for allegedly supporting one or other of the parties to the conflict.

The Central African Republic continues to grapple with a complex humanitarian crisis despite a decrease in the number of people in need. While security conditions have improved in certain regions, challenges persist, particularly recurrent clashes between conflicting parties leading to displacement and disrupting access to livelihoods. One in five Central Africans is either internally displaced or found refuge abroad due to ongoing violence.

In 2024, the situation remains concerning, with 2.8 million people – 46 per cent of the population – who are extremely vulnerable to the extent that humanitarian assistance alone is not sufficient for their well-being. The refinement of needs conducted early with authorities and affected communities in the interior of the country has shown that some relatively stable areas require the engagement of other actors, such as those involved in development to consolidate gains from humanitarian efforts, and to sustainably support the protection and resilience of vulnerable communities.

In response to these challenges, the humanitarian community aims to provide vital multisectoral assistance to 1.9 million of the most vulnerable Central Africans and calls for the mobilization of US$ 367.7 million. The response strategy is based on addressing multisectoral needs in the face of various vulnerabilities, prioritizing protection throughout all sectors, and localizing humanitarian response for systematic engagement of national actors. The strategy also includes accountability to affected people ensuring humanitarian response meets their expectations, the humanitarian-development-peace nexus to take advantage of stable areas, and thus strengthen the resilience of populations by promoting durable solutions to displacement.

In addition to the already challenging humanitarian situation and recent financial constraints, humanitarian actors faced new crises in 2023, with the impact of the Sudanese war in the northeast and insecurity in the border region with Chad in the northwest. Despite these challenges, and thanks to donors’ generosity, 2 million of the most vulnerable Central Africans received vital assistance in at least one sector, particularly in regions that have long remained inaccessible by road in the central part of the country. However, only 56 per cent of required funds were mobilized, with significant disparities between sectors, notably in gender-based violence and nutrition sectors which received only 6 and 24 per cent, respectively, of required funds.

Faced with the recent ever-changing dynamics of the humanitarian aid funding environment, the Central African humanitarian community is calling for mobilization to support the population, particularly to sustainably support the protection and resilience of vulnerable communities.

For more information, please refer to the Humanitarian Response Plan (French version).

The number of shocks facing populations, such as clashes, has decreased. So have the population movements they entail, following a slight improvement in the security situation. However, one Central African in five remains displaced either within the country or abroad, mainly in neighbouring countries, due to the insecurity generated by conflict. In addition, clashes between various parties to the conflict and attacks on civilians remain recurrent, and new displacements have been recorded, as have violations of Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law by armed men, forcing the population to seek refuge elsewhere. This is particularly the case in the south-east and west of the country. Conflicts in neighboring Sudan and Chad have also impacted the vulnerability of populations, increasing the magnitude of needs in the northeast and northwest regions.

2.8 million people - or 46 per cent of the population - will be extremely vulnerable in 2024, to the extent that humanitarian assistance alone will not be sufficient for their well-being. The drop in this figure compared to 2023 is linked not only to a general improvement in the context, but also to the refinement of needs analysis to highlight those arising from structural problems, which in some cases reach humanitarian intervention thresholds, and those arising from recent shocks suffered by the population. In many regions, humanitarian actors are often the only ones ensuring access to basic social services such as health and education, for which other types of actors, notably development ones, would better suit. In this context, when humanitarian aid, which is intended to alleviate consequences of a recent shock, comes to an end, the lack of a long-term relay by more appropriate actors causes the population to fall into a cycle of dependency.

This is what describes the new 2024 Humanitarian Needs Overview for the Central African Republic (CAR), which is based on the results of a joint multi-sector analysis carried out by the humanitarian community. This analysis was largely affected people-oriented, interviewing 28,000 households, 430 key informants/observers and 280 children across the country's 72 sub-prefectures. Its results illustrate how the current crisis is affecting people's living conditions, services and access to these services, and provide information on people's priority needs.

Magnitude of needs

During the assessments, interviewed households expressed their needs in different sectors, enabling the humanitarian community to get as close as possible to the views of those affected, and to develop a strategic joint response plan. In 2024, the sectors with the largest number of people in need will be water, hygiene and sanitation, food security, health and protection, totaling between 1.9 and 2.5 million people.

Despite the drop in the total number of people in need, some prefectures have seen an increase due to the deteriorating security situation inside the country or in border regions. This is particularly true for Vakaga (+32%), Haut-Mbomou (+16%), Lobaye (+9%) and Mbomou (+4%). However, the five prefectures with the highest number of people in need are Ouaka (348,000), Ouham (229,000), Mambéré-Kadéï (158,000), Nana-Gribizi (156,000) and Bangui (120,000).

The more security improves and access to basic services is re-established by more appropriate actors, the fewer humanitarian needs will be reported in CAR. When emergency aid programs come to an end, other types of actors, such as development agencies, will have to take over or cover the gaps to prevent the population from falling into a cycle of dependency that destroys its resilience.

Foundation for humanitarian response in 2024

The Humanitarian Needs Overview presents a common understanding of the crisis within the humanitarian community, including the magnitude of needs, the most urgent needs, and the number of most vulnerable people. As such, it provides a factual basis to inform joint strategic planning of the response, through the Humanitarian Response Plan.

Download the 2023 Humanitarian Needs Overview for CAR here (in French).

The civilian population in the Central African Republic (CAR) continues to pay a heavy price, in a country ravaged by conflict and subsequent violence for over a decade. Located in the south-east of the Haute-Kotto prefecture, the sub-prefecture of Yalinga, with an estimated population of 10,650 remains one of the most vulnerable and isolated in the country. Yalinga is very difficult to access, where roads exist, and the cellular network does not cover this city located nearly 600 km from Bangui, the capital. Access to basic services such as water and healthcare is very poor, while food insecurity is among the most severe in the country. Most of its residents are spontaneous returnees, having been displaced for years following atrocities committed by armed groups.

Major obstacles to humanitarian access

Difficult to access due to armed groups activities, as well as physically due to the deterioration or absence of roads, particularly during the rainy season (April-October), Yalinga has always faced a worrying humanitarian situation.

Clashes between different armed groups over control of resources are recurrent. The population continues to suffer extortion, illegal taxation and other human rights violations on a daily basis. Humanitarian organizations are also affected by robberies and kidnapping attempts when they try to help the most vulnerable. This was the case in December 2022, when staff from a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) on a mission to install a vaccine conservation system in a health center in the Yalinga region were held hostages by armed men, before being released following negotiations with local authorities. In 2021, a private transporter working for an NGO was robbed, and three months' worth of medicines for the Yalinga Health Center were taken by armed men. The presence of armed groups since 2020 and insecurity have made humanitarian activities and multi-sector assessment missions by road impossible, leading to the temporary withdrawal of humanitarian organizations until April 2023.

For the first time in over three years, a humanitarian mission by road comprising OXFAM, INTERSOS, AURD, BRIA-LONDO, ESPERANCE and the World Food Programme (WFP), under the leadership of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) visited Yalinga from 18 to 22 April 2023. The mission assessed the needs of the population and prepared a response plan covering the period from April to December 2023. Preliminary contacts with authorities and civil society actors in Yalinga and the region helped in identifying and mitigating risks associated with road travel in the area.

Multi-sectoral needs

According to the results of assessments carried out in April 2023, significant needs have been identified in almost all sectors, including protection, health, food security, nutrition, education, water, hygiene and sanitation.

More than 120 protection incidents were documented, including cases of torture, kidnapping, destruction of property and 50 cases of gender-based violence (GBV). The presence of armed groups, unfavorable economic conditions for parents, lack of school infrastructure and qualified teachers have caused over 60 per cent of children to drop out of school. Access to drinking water remains a major challenge for the population, who continue to use water from rivers and traditional wells in the absence of any developed water source. "Our community lives in precarious conditions, and this mission is a ray of hope. We are very happy to see that humanitarian organizations have returned to bring us the help we need", declared Jean-Irénée NGUIMENDE, mayor of Yalinga.

A timely humanitarian response

To meet the urgent needs of the population, the assessment mission was coupled with an initial humanitarian assistance package. With the support of the NGO Bria-Londo, a batch of communications equipment was handed over to the Yalinga authorities for the reinstallation of the VHF radio, which will enable them to communicate with the outside world, in particular on the protection of the residents. No cellular network covers the area.

11 GBV survivors received cash assistance from INTERSOS, in particular to cover their food needs. To mitigate the risks of GBV, which particularly affect girls and women, nine group awareness-raising sessions on GBV issues were organized for around 240 women and girls. 40 vulnerable women and girls with specific needs received hygiene kits from OXFAM. To support children's education, the NGO COOPI distributed teaching kits to six of the 10 schools in the sub-prefecture.

With the support of the World Health Organization (WHO), 300 insecticide-impregnated mosquito nets were distributed and some 5,380 people were sensitized to menstrual hygiene, home water treatment techniques and environmental hygiene. The NGO Bria-Londo trained the Yalinga Peace Committee members in income-generating activities and provided them with micro-project kits to increase the availability of basic necessities in the region, thus supporting food and nutritional security of residents.

The Central African Republic (CAR) has been devastated by conflict and violence for decades. Many of the country's 6.1 million people have been traumatized by displacement, often on several occasions. One in five Central Africans is either internally displaced or a refugee, mainly in neighbouring countries. Despite the current crisis, humanitarian and development actors are working hand in hand with the government to enable internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees in CAR to resume a normal life where circ*mstances permit.

Durable solutions to displacement is the key term. This means leaving displacement sites or integrating local community and ending dependance on humanitarian aid. A durable solution, when achieved, means that people no longer need specific assistance and protection linked to their displacement. Durable solutions include voluntarily returning home or place of residence, resettlement in another part of the country or integration into the host community. IDPs and refugees often need support in their efforts to gradually return to a more or less "normal" life. While humanitarian actors are making efforts to respond to urgent and immediate needs of IDPs and refugees, the commitment of partners in the development, peace and security sectors is required to implement durable solutions in the context of the Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus.

The integrated village

In Pladama Ouaka, a rural municipality around 10 km from Bambari in the Ouaka Prefecture, former IDPs are enjoying a new life since 2022. In one year, almost 500 families moved to Pladama Ouaka with the support of humanitarian and development agencies and local authorities. Each family has been granted 300 m2 of land where brick houses and latrines were built. Socio-community infrastructures such as classrooms, a market, boreholes for drinking water and plots of land for farming were also made available.

These families had fled violence in various parts of the country and had lived in a site in Bambari for years until it was burnt down in May 2021, forcing the IDPs to leave. Once again displaced, they settled in the mosque, from which they were again evicted, and in different areas of Bambari, where they lived in very difficult conditions and were also exposed to protection risks and epidemics. In this difficult context, a lasting solution had to be found.

Local authorities had identified Pladama Ouaka, a community of 50,000 people, as a favorable location for voluntary resettlement, and had allocated 124 hectares of land to accommodate these people. Around 1,000 families agreed to settle there almost immediately. Initially, around 500 families were supported in their resettlement by various United Nations agencies, including the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), International Organisation for Migration (IOM), World Food Programme (WFP), World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), various NGOs including ACTED, AID, APADE, HOPIN, Humanité et Inclusion (HI), Intersos, International Medical Corps (IMC), Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), Tearfund, Triangle, World Vision and the local authorities.

The 10 km road from Bambari had been rehabilitated to facilitate access and reinforce security through police patrols, and four new neighborhoods had been demarcated in Pladama Ouaka. After an initial phase during which people moved into transitional shelters, brick houses with straw roofs were built, one for each family with one toilet per household.

"I'm so happy to have a house, because a man without a house is considered as nobody in the community," says Ibrahim Hassan, who had been displaced for 10 years after fleeing Kouango in 2012, and who was one of the first families to move into the new brick houses in Pladama Ouaka. "This house and the large plot of land give me back the dignity I had before the conflict. They give me the strength to get up every morning, bring food to my family and do my business. My children's future will be filled with joy and not pain, and that makes me very happy", says this father of seven.

An additional hangar had been built at the local health center and a school building rehabilitated. School supplies and learning materials were distributed to teachers and students, and benches and tables were provided to the school. Three boreholes had been drilled in the integrated village and are now providing drinking water to its inhabitants and the surrounding communities. 20 solar panels have just been installed to provide lighting in the village and will be connected to the boreholes to effectively operate. Community management structures have also been strengthened to resolve conflicts and promote social cohesion. The local authorities had allocated agricultural land to the new residents to support their livelihoods. Food security partners had distributed gardening kits to help them grow vegetables.

To ensure the sustainable resettlement of these populations and to consolidate the achievements made, 14 village savings and credit associations were formed and have been operational since April this year. In addition, income-generating activities will be set up for 300 households. This programme will enable these populations to get new livelihoods through self-employment, to create profitable and sustainable sources of income that will strengthen their capacity for resilience and self-financing of projects.

Resettling an entire town

In May 2022, a similar durable solutions project was launched in Bria, in the Haute-Kotto prefecture, where the country's largest IDP site is located. 33,000 IDPs live at a settlement 3 km from the town (PK3), in a commune tant counts 75,000 residents. Many of them fled the violence and insecurity from central Bria to the site in 2017 and 2018. Since 2021, the security situation in Bria has been continuously improving and state authorities, including the police, armed forces and justice have returned. Today, the prefectural authorities are supporting the voluntary return of the first 150 families, around 900 people, in two neighborhoods of Bria, with the support of humanitarian and development partners. The latter are providing building materials to rebuild the ruined houses. Support in the form of cash and materials, including brick presses, is helping to facilitate production so that returnees can make their own bricks and build semi-durable shelters and houses. In 2022, the NGO OXFAM had completed 10 water boreholes, which now benefit the newly returned. Since the beginning of the pilot project, the number of IDPs living on the PK3 site continue to decrease, from around 37,000 at the beginning of the programme in May 2022 to 32,100 in February 2023. Nearly 6,000 IDPs have voluntarily left the sites following the improvement in the security situation in their areas of origin.

Although much work remains to be done to find durable solutions for the 32,100 IDPs still living on the PK3 site, there is now a sense of hope for a more normal life outside the IDP site.

Additional resources required

Thanks to funding allocated by the Humanitarian Fund in CAR, Oxfam, IOM, UNHCR and new partners such as the NGO DCA will continue their efforts to promote sustainable solutions for nearly 6,000 returnee families waiting to be resettled in Bria, Bambari and Kaga-Bandoro.The assistance provided by humanitarian actors is only the first stage of support for return, the full realisation of which requires interventions of a different nature. This can be achieved in particular with the involvement of development actors and the government, and requires additional funds for a specific period.

A major displacement crisis

The crisis in CAR remains a major displacement crisis. One person in five is displaced. 490,066 people are internally displaced and 743,000 Central African refugees are living in neighboring countries, mainly in Cameroon and DR Congo. New displacements are recorded every month, and always outnumber returns. Displacements are continuing because the conflict is not over. However, this is not an obstacle to durable solutions programmes, as the situation has relatively stabilized in certain regions of the country, provided that IDPs freely decide to return to their places of origin.

Even if this Friday afternoon, marked by children playing in the street, street vendors and the horns of motorbike taxis looking for passengers seems quite ordinary for many Bangassou residents, it is not the case for Hawa Abakar. At 36 with a slim figure and a pensive face, she’s undoubtely wondering when will her journey end in this town where she found refuge.

Hawa and her family were forced to leave their home in Zemio, 250 km from Bangassou in the south-east of the Central African Republic, following an attack on the town by armed groups a year ago, and found refuge in Bangassou in the Mbomou Prefecture.

"To increase our chances of survival, my husband and I separated, each going in the opposite way with two of our children as we have four. My husband headed to the Democratic Republic of Congo border area and I went to Bangassou. It was the most painful time of my life because I didn't know if my husband and our two children who left with him had survived" she says.

Each year, violence against civilians forces thousands of Central Africans fearing for their lives to displacement to survive the conflict that continues to devastate the country, particularly in rural areas. One in five Central Africans is currently either an internally displaced person (IDP) or a refugee in neighboring countries.

In 2022, almost three-quarters of the IDPs were living with host families. This was the case for Hawa, who on her arrival in Bangassou was welcomed by Kadidia, a former IDP she met in the town's mosque. "Kadidia became our family. She welcomed me and my children and shares what she has with us. We are fed and housed," explains Hawa.

Crucial solidarity

As soon as they arrive in the host city, IDPs face many needs, including shelter, food, water, hygiene and sanitation. Very often, host communities provide initial life-saving assistance before a need assessment is carried out and an appropriate response provided by humanitarian actors. It sometimes multiplies vulnerabilities as the host family's resources are stretched by the now large number of people in the household.

Thanks to their determination after spending three months together, the two women managed to contact Hawa's husband and their two other children who found refuge in the Democratic Republic of Congo. "I was internally displaced from 2017 to 2020 after our town was attacked by armed groups. I know what it is like to lose loved ones, your home and to live in fear. Thanks God, I had benefited from humanitarian assistance. It is now my duty to help other people in a similar situation," says Kadidia.

Hawa did not only benefit from housing or food that Kadidia generously shared with her and her two children. "Kadidia taught me how to bake biscuits and once things calm down at home in Zemio, this will allow me to get ahead financially and take care of my children," explains Hawa.

Kadidia learned to make the biscuits as part of a programme to support the return of IDPs developed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in 2021. These organizations had also built houses for former refugees and IDPs wishing to resettle in Bangassou after calm had returned to the town.

A coordinated and inclusive humanitarian response

In order to meet IDPs needs and to support host families whose resources are diminished by the presence of additional people in their homes, the humanitarian response also takes into account host communities’ needs.

To date, humanitarian community in partnership with development actors have supported the return of more than 14,000 people to the Mbomou Prefecture, particularly in Rafai and Bakouma. This included activities such as the construction of houses, water boreholes, trainings in income-generating activities and livelihood support.

The danger of landmines and other explosive devices

Landmines and other explosive devices pose an increasing threat to the people in the Central African Republic (CAR). Civilians are the main victims. Since April 2021, accidents involving explosive devices have increased, particularly in the west of the country, where conflict has intensified. Landmines and other explosive devices kill and maim people and restrict access to farmland, markets, hospitals and schools. They also restrict access of humanitarian workers to those in need of assistance, further exacerbating humanitarian needs in a country where more than half of the population relies on humanitarian assistance. However, United Nations partners and others are working to reduce the risk to people's lives and livelihoods.

For more information on the danger of landmines and other explosive devices in CAR, click here.