After several decades of conflict, one in five Central African is displaced either within the country or abroad, particularly in neighbouring countries. Some of the 6.1 million Central Africans have been forced to move from one town or commune to another, often several times. In this context, humanitarian and development actors are working in support of the government to enable Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and some refugees in the Central African Republic (CAR) to resume a normal life where circumstances 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, in support of the government, is required to implement durable solutions in the context of the Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus.

The integrated village

Since 2022, in two years, 930 IDP families have moved to Pladama Ouaka, a rural municipality around 10 km from Bambari in the Ouaka Prefecture, integrating several services 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 infrastructure such as classrooms, a market, a mini water supply system, boreholes for drinking water, solar-powered street lamps for lighting at night, arable land and a grazing area have also been made available to maintain their livelihoods.

Originating from various regions of the country ravaged by violence, 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.

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 local authorities.

The 10 km road from Bambari had been rehabilitated to facilitate access and reinforce security through police patrols. 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. They give me more serenity in my occupations for the well-being of my family. 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. Food security partners had distributed gardening kits to help them grow vegetables. Community management structures had also been strengthened to resolve conflicts and promote social cohesion.

To ensure the sustainable resettlement of these populations and to consolidate the achievements made, 15 village savings and credit associations were formed and income-generating activities are developed 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. 37,000 IDPs were then living on this site located 3 km from the town (PK3), in a commune that counts 75,000 residents. Many of them had fled violence and insecurity from central Bria 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 3 455 families in Bria. With the support of humanitarian and development partners, this families are being provided with 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. Between 2022 and 2023, the NGO OXFAM completed 11 water boreholes and eight autonomous solar water stations, which are now benefiting the new returnees. 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 12,000 in February 2024. This dynamic has also led to the spontaneous return of other families to their regions of origin. To make it easier to settle back into their neighborhoods, families were also given cash to buy non-food items, or to develop income-generating activities.

Although much work remains to be done to find durable solutions for the 12,000 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

Between December 2023 and January 2024, IOM conducted a survey on the future intentions of IDPs, with the aim of informing and guiding sustainable solution strategies in the country.

According to the results of this survey, 58 per cent of IDPs living on sites intend to integrate locally and sustainably in their current region of displacement, 22 per cent wish to return to their regions of origin, 7 per cent opt for resettlement and 13 per cent are not ready for durable solutions or are undecided. As for IDPs living in host communities, 69 per cent intend to integrate locally and sustainably in their current regions of displacement, 12 per cent wish to return to their regions of origin, 3 per cent have opted for resettlement in another region and the remainder are not ready or undecided in terms of durable solutions.

The CAR Humanitarian Fund has played a catalytic role in providing funding to support the voluntary return of IDPs, in line with recent years’ strategic response, which aims, among other, to strengthen the resilience of populations in regions of stability, through sustainable solutions to protracted displacement. This dynamic has led to the involvement of other donors, notably the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO). Thanks to this funding, humanitarian actors and the UNDP continue to put in place durable solutions for nearly 6,000 returnee families to be resettled in Bria, Bambari and Kaga-Bandoro.

Assistance provided by humanitarian actors is the first step in supporting returns. It will need to be complemented by the involvement of more development actors and the government, and financially supported over the long term.

A major displacement crisis

As a result of insecurity, one Central African in five remains displaced either within the country or abroad, mainly in neighboring countries. As of 30 May 2024, the total number of IDPs in CAR is estimated at 451,000 people, of whom 18 per cent were in sites and 82 percent in host families. This corresponds to a 13 per cent drop in displacements compared with April 2024, when the number of IDPs was estimated at 518,000. However, since the beginning of the year, around 5,000 people have been displaced each month due to insecurity. In addition, 750,000 people have taken refuge abroad, mainly in neighboring countries, as a result of insecurity.

Since the end of 2022, the trend in movements of population observed in Bria, in the center of the country, has been towards return. In January 2023, the PK3 site was home to 37,000 people, compared with 12,000 in May 2024, a drop of around 63 per cent. This drop is justified by the implementation of support to return programs, while the improvement in security conditions in the regions of origin is also encouraging spontaneous returns of IDPs.

In the Central African Republic (CAR), 2.8 million people – or 46% of the population – are extremely vulnerable to the point that humanitarian assistance alone is not enough to restore their well-being. Assessments carried out by humanitarian actors can determine the extent of needs, understand their nature and define the necessary response approach. To develop an adapted and local program, the humanitarian community also collects the points of view and feedback of beneficiaries on the assistance received. This feedback allows the community to place these people at the heart of the response and to adapt assistance accordingly. Each year, the number of households consulted as part of the humanitarian program cycle increases in CAR. There were 28000 in 2023, up 22% compared to 2022.

Mainstreaming the thematic

The Accountability to Affected Populations Working Group (AAP), integral part of the coordination group of the different sectors (clusters) of humanitarian intervention (Intercluster), is responsible for implementing and monitoring these mechanisms aiming at involving communities and ensuring that the principles of accountability towards affected populations are applied.

Since 2019, the AAP Working Group facilitated by UNICEF and OCHA has set up collective feedback mechanisms in several humanitarian interventions areas across the country. These mechanisms include Information and feedbacks centers (CIF) present mainly in sites for internally displaced persons. In 2023, nearly 7500 community complaints were collected via these mechanisms. The same year, a mobile approach for these mechanisms aimint at collecting comments in hard-to-reach areas was tested, allowing to collect several complaints cocnerning food assistance, monetary and protections issues. In 2024, the AAP Working Group set up 20 CIF in Bria, Bambari, Kaga-Bandoro and Paoua in the center and west of the country. Those CIF were set up by national NGOs and directly managed by the communities and their leaders. Mobile feedback collection teams have also been strengthened to cover hard-to-reach areas in the north, southeast, center and west of the country.

The AAP Working Group also ensures that the voices of communuties collected through various fedback mechanisms are taken into consideration by the humanitarian actors for corrective actions at the strategic level. This technical group produces perception trend analyzes of Central Africans on the effectiveness of the humanitarian response and its capacity to cover essential needs, then advises humanitarian partners on the corrective measures to take.

In addition, the collective approach to accountability towards affected communities in CAR also includes the establishment of a humanitarian information service. In 2023, this information service included 22 operational community radio stations. These local radio stations notably produced and broadcast messages on the measures to take to deal with the floods and to benefit from humanitarian assistance. When Sudanese refugees arrived in Birao in the north of the country, the emergency information service, through community radio Yata, was pivotal in informing refugees about the arrangements put in place by humanitarian actors to support them. They also received more than 3000 solar-powered or hand-cranked radios. Community radio support for humanitarian interventions also remains important to ensure wide dissemination of the results of the annual needs assessment to communities, and in particular how they are used to guide strategic planning of the humanitarian response.

The establishment of the humanitarian information service is an important pillar of accountability to affected communities and highlights the need for greater transparency in targeting criteria, and better communication on the limits of humanitarian assistance.

Major challenges to overcome

Community perception surveys reveal a low level of knowledge of complaint and feedback mechanisms. Only 27% of beneficiaries know how to file a complaint, and this figure drops to 13% among non-beneficiaries. Communities with a strong humanitarian presence, such as those of Obo, Bria, Zemio and Kaga-Bandoro, show a better understanding of these mechanisms. Two main factors explain this poor understanding: on the one hand, the mechanisms put in place by humanitarian actors are often not adapted to the channels preferred by communities. On the other hand, those who know how to use these mechanisms are often discouraged from doing so, because humanitarian actors do not respond to all the complaints and feedback submitted to them. “We did not receive enough responses to our complaints when we put them in the suggestion boxes, but thanks to direct exchanges with humanitarian actors, we feel better listened to,” explains Nadège Muzilut, a displaced woman participating in a community meeting to collect feedback and complaints organized by the mobile team of the local NGO Cinéma Numérique Ambulant (CNA). The response rate of humanitarian actors to community feedback is around 25%. It is important to strengthen communication on the use of feedback and complaint mechanisms, and at the same time to improve the response rate.

Improve feedbacks and complaint management mechanisms

Efforts to improve the response rate began in 2021 by digitalizing the system for collecting and referencing the feedbacks and complaints. Humanitarian actors specializing in emergency telecommunications then automated the common mechanisms for managing feedback and complaints by digitalizing the collection form through the SugarCrm customer relationship management application. Launched in September 2021 in Bria with the support of the World Food Program (WFP), UNICEF and the international NGO INTERSOS, this application is now capable of guaranteeing timely referrals and responses to complaints and feedback received as part of the collective mechanisms. In 2023, 3530 feedbacks and complaints were collected via this platform, and 98% received a response from humanitarian partners.

In 2024, the Humanitarian Country Team approved an AAP strategy alongside key actions to inform communities about the existence of complaints mechanisms, strengthen collective mechanisms through fixed and mobile approaches, strengthen community participation in the response planning and needs assessment process, and develop minimum AAP standards adapted to the interventions of each sector.

Communities at the heart of complaints and feedbacks mechanisms

In 2024, humanitarian partners received funding from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) and the Central African Republic Humanitarian Fund (CAR HF) to advance the implementation of collective feedback mechanisms. The CAR HF funds eight mobile feedback teams and the maintenance of the digital application, while CERF funding will enable the creation of nine community-led information and feedback centers. These two complementary funding streams aim to ensure the sustainability of feedback mechanisms by integrating them into local community structures so that they endure beyond the end of the projects. Using the same digital application to refer and respond to feedbacks facilitates monitoring and joint decision-making. Additionally, these initiatives strengthen the participation of national NGOs in collective AAP activities, contributing to localization efforts in CAR. This funding is crucial to ensure the implementation of the AAP strategy, which enhances a human-centered approach in the implementation of humanitarian interventions.

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.

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, more than two people are victims of GBV, mostly women and girls. In the first half of this year alone, over 11,000 cases of GBV were reported. During the second quarter of this year, more than 6,000 cases of GBV (32 per cent of rape, 28 per cent of physical assault, 17 per cent of deprivation of resources, 15 per cent of psychological violence, 5 per cent of sexual assault, 3 per cent of forced marriage) were reported. 96 per cent of survivors are women and girls. Among the types of GBV, rape cases (32 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.

Localization of humanitarian aid in the Central African Republic (CAR) is now a priority, emphasizing the crucial role of local and national actors in effectively responding to humanitarian crises. The 2016 World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul highlighted the contribution of national and local actors to the success of humanitarian action. By valuing the knowledge and networks of local organizations, this approach allows for the design and implementation of more effective and sustainable emergency interventions. Local NGOs, on the front lines of the country's multiple crises, play a crucial role due to their deep understanding of the context and direct access to affected populations. Humanitarian aid localization represents an essential strategy to enhance the responsiveness, efficiency, and relevance of humanitarian response in a country where 2.8 million people, or 46 per cent of the population, are extremely vulnerable and where humanitarian assistance alone is not sufficient to restore their well-being.

Focusing on local actors for delivering effective humanitarian aid

In 2022, the humanitarian community established a Localization Task Force that brings together platforms and forums representing national and local actors, national NGOs, as well as international organizations engaged in localization. The strategy of the Localization Task Force aims to strengthen the representation, participation, and leadership of national NGOs in humanitarian coordination structures, as well as their involvement in humanitarian response through capacity building and funding support. To support national actors, it is important to quantify and map their presence. Thus, in collaboration with the Inter-NGO Council in the Central African Republic (CIONGCA) and other platforms representing national NGOs participating in the Localization Task Force, a mapping of national and local actors was developed in 2023 and revised in 2024. This exercise demonstrated that national NGOs are present in 96 per cent of the Central African territory.

These various actors also established a list of the challenges faced by national and local actors, and developed strategies and action plans with four clusters to ensure that national and local partners can progressively assume leadership and co-leadership roles in existing coordination structures. Opportunities for capacity strengthening were also identified, and the Localization Task Force ensures that national actors are informed, actively participate, and have access to direct and flexible funding.

The strategy of the Localization Task Force also complements the efforts of the government and specialized actors in development and peacebuilding, enhancing synergy between humanitarian and sustainable development initiatives.

"For example, by participating in strategic guidance structures of the humanitarian response such as the Humanitarian Country Team and the Advisory Committee of the Humanitarian Fund for CAR, we ensure that accountability to affected people is considered, and that national capacities are integrated as much as possible in the humanitarian response," explains Anita Bissa, Coordinator and Founder of the women's NGO Wali Ti Kodro (WTK) and member of the Advisory Committee of the Humanitarian Fund for CAR (CAR HF).

Initial progress recorded

Localization is part of the responsibilities of the HCT, and a strategic focus of the humanitarian response in 2024. The CAR HF has increased its direct funding rate to local and national NGOs from 7 per cent in 2022 to 20 per cent in 2023, with a target of reaching at least 25 per cent in 2024. Out of the US$ 15.8 million allocated by the CAR HF in 2023, US$ 3.16 million (20 per cent) was directly awarded to national NGOs, marking an increase of over 200 per cent compared to the previous year. Concurrently, 22 per cent of the US$ 11 million allocated by the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) was indirectly allocated to 11 national NGOs. The CAR HF has promoted localization to strengthen national capacities, supporting 124 national actors and assessing the capacities of 21 potential partners, 76 per cent of whom were national NGOs. Among the 12 new partners funded in 2023, eight were national NGOs, and 23 per cent of funded national NGOs were led by women.

"We appreciate the progress made in recent years in localization, enabling national NGOs to be at the forefront of the humanitarian response in CAR. This has resulted in significant participation of national NGOs overall, and women's organizations, notably by playing a leadership role in strategic decision-making on the humanitarian response in the Central African Republic," said Anita Bissa during the UN Member States briefing on the humanitarian situation in CAR held in New York in June 2024.

The CAR HF also facilitated capacity-building sessions for 30 national and local NGOs, resulting in increased quality project proposals and an allocation of 27 per cent of funds to national NGOs in 2023, including 20 per cent in direct financing. For 2024, CAR HF priorities include continued collaboration with clusters and working groups, representation of women-led organizations, and the goal of channeling 25 per cent of funding through national NGOs. Efforts will be made to translate national progress into provincial action plans, in collaboration with regional coordination structures.

Much remains to be done

Localization of humanitarian aid in CAR has indeed progressed in 2023, with clear priorities set for 2024. Local and national actors constitute the largest group of humanitarian actors in the 2024 humanitarian response plan in CAR. It is essential to strengthen efforts to ensure equitable partnerships with national NGOs, secure adequate funding, and their meaningful integration into coordination and decision-making structures. While funding for national NGOs by the CAR HF has significantly increased, direct funding within the Humanitarian Response Plan, the main resource mobilization source, remains below 2 per cent. There have been advances in financing mechanisms led by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), but this is not the case for other mechanisms. Despite efforts by CAR HF and CERF, these have had little impact on overall funding for local NGOs. "We would like to see more actors, particularly donors, set quantifiable funding targets for national organizations," explained Thierry Adoum, Secretary General of CIONGCA. "We would like international actors to understand that funding national actors does not equate to localization. Furthermore, it is essential to include them in all decision-making and strategic program-setting processes," he continued. Moreover, the level of capacity remains a barrier to equitable opportunities to assume leadership and co-leadership roles at the national and sub-national levels. The inclusion of local partners on the ground in the implementation of humanitarian programs remains a major challenge, as these actors are still largely concentrated in Bangui. By valuing local actors and empowering them, the humanitarian community strives for a more effective, sustainable, and locally responsive response tailored to the needs of the Central African populations.

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.

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 the beginning of the Sudan crisis in April 2023, the Central African Republic has received 28, 871 refugees as of 11 August. A total of 20,060 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. In September 2024, the trend is 27 arrivals per week, a decrease from 98 arrivals per week in August, 124 in July, 204 in June, and 231 in May. The decrease is due to the rainy season. An emerging trend is that due to rising waters causing flooding on the Am Dafock-Birao axis, refugees arriving in Korsi no longer pass through Am Dafock in CAR but instead go through AmdukoumGoba in Sudan to reach Birao.

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. The same year, 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. 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.

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 53 villages in the communes of Mia-Pende and Bah Bessar, located north of Paoua in the prefecture of Ouham-Pendé, 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, where people fleeing Chad can register and receive multisectoral assistance. In 20 June 2024, World Refugee Day, the Central African government has granted Prima Facie refugee status to the 3,194 Chadians residing in Betoko.

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).

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.