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WFP Central African Republic Country Brief, December 2018

Countries
CAR
Sources
WFP
Publication date
Origin
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In Numbers

4,091 mt of food assistance distributed

US$1.2 m cash-based transfers made

US$63.5 m six months (January-June 2018) net funding requirements, representing 64% of total

628,111 people assisted in DECEMBER 2018

Operational Updates

• WFP has made continuous efforts to improve its capacity to better respond to the needs of crisis-affected populations, including through the strengthening of its field capacity and its supply chain. This enabled WFP to reach its highest number of people assisted this year in December, with more than 628,000 beneficiaries reached across the country, including more than 321,000 extremely vulnerable people who received life-saving assistance to improve their food security and nutrition situation in the regions of Bambari and Paoua.

• WFP conducted two field missions in Alindao: a first mission to support the distribution process and a follow up mission which took place a week later with the country director, allowing WFP to reaffirm its humanitarian principles and its commitment to assist vulnerable populations.

• The Regional Director visited C.A.R. where he met high level government officials and reaffirmed the UN’s and WFP’s ambition to continue supporting the Government to respond to the humanitarian and development needs of the country. He also made a field visit to Bambari and met with local authorities, partners and WFP staff at Bambari sub-office.

• The security situation remains particularly volatile and further clashes between armed groups and tit-for-tat attacks targeting civilians of opposing communities occurred in December, particularly in Alindao, Batangafo, Gbambia and Bria.

• Humanitarian access remains difficult, primarily due to the highly dynamic and volatile security situation, with recurrent clashes and threat of kidnapping and impeded road movement due to frequent illegal checkpoints and the destruction of road infrastructures. In this context, UNHAS activities are critical to access hard-to-reach locations. However, serious funding shortages are threatening the continuation of the service. USD 3 million are urgently required to maintain the service for the next three months (January-March 2019).

• Limited access to agricultural fields linked with increased insecurity and population displacements continues to severely disrupt food production, resulting in high needs for food assistance. Against this backdrop of a continuingly complex humanitarian crisis, it remains essential to continue providing emergency food assistance to conflict-induced populations and to people affected by food insecurity and acute undernutrition.