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Central African Republic: Situation Report, 30 November 2021

Countries
CAR
Sources
OCHA
Publication date
Origin
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HIGHLIGHTS

  • In 2022, 3.1 million Central Africans will need humanitarian assistance and protection, 63 per cent of the population.

  • During the first nine months of 2021, 1.7 million people received lifesaving, multisectoral assistance - an increase compared to the 1.6 million people assisted in all of 2020.

  • The threat of explosive devices continues to increase in the Central African Republic: at least 15 civilians killed between January and October 2021.

  • The number of people who benefited from cash-based interventions between January and September 2021 has already exceeded the number of those assisted during the entire past year.

ANALYSIS

Central African Republic: A humanitarian emergency not seen since 2015

The humanitarian emergency in the Central African Republic has reached levels not seen since 2015 due to the new conflict dynamics observed since December 2020. In 2022, 3.1 million people will need humanitarian assistance and protection, 63 per cent of the population. Of these, 2.2 million people will have needs that are so complex and severe, that their physical and mental well-being is at risk. This is an increase of 16 per cent, or 300,000 more people in severe humanitarian needs compared to 2021.

Recurring violence, persistent shocks and the degradation of basic services have significantly worsened the living conditions of Central Africans in 2021. At the same time, people's resilience continues eroding under the weight of successive crises and economic recession, forcing nearly the entire population to adopt negative coping mechanisms.

These are the findings of a joint multisectoral analysis and an unprecedented consultation effort undertaken by the humanitarian community with the people in need, published in the Humanitarian Needs Overview 2022 for the Central African Republic. The affected people were at the heart of the analysis, with 17,300 households interviewed, including in the most remote corners of the country. They shed light on how the current crisis affects people's living conditions, services and access, and inform about people's priority needs.

Exacerbation of needs

The sectors with the largest number of people in need in 2022 are water, hygiene and sanitation (WASH); medical care; protection; and food security, with between 2.4 and 2.8 million people needing assistance to access basic services and goods essential for survival. Of all sectors, the need for WASH has increased the most since last year, with 12 per cent or 300,000 more people needing assistance to access clean water and hygienic sanitation facilities. The risk of diseases and malnutrition has risen as fast as access to water decreases. The number of human rights abuses and violations of international humanitarian law has increased as their nature has changed, with new risks to civilians such as explosive devices or the stigmatisation of entire communities on ethnic or religious grounds, significantly increasing protection needs. In the context of the conflict, food insecurity has worsened due to reduced access to fields, market disruptions and the decline in agricultural production, the main source of livelihoods.

Solid basis for the humanitarian response

To meet people's needs in 2022, humanitarian actors in collaboration with the Central African government elaborate a common strategy to guide their interventions, based on the insights of the Humanitarian Needs Overview 2022. This strategy will be detailed in the Humanitarian Response Plan 2022 for the Central African Republic, which will be published in December 2021.

Despite generous donor contributions, as of early November, the 2021 Humanitarian Response Plan was funded at just 63 per cent of the US$ 444.8 million required. Humanitarians count on donors' continued commitment to stand with the Central Africans and enable humanitarian organizations to meet people's ever-growing needs in 2022. From January to September 2021, humanitarian partners in the Central African Republic provided lifesaving, multisectoral assistance to 1.6 million people, despite the increasingly volatile security context.

Download the Humanitarian Needs Overview 2022 for the Central African Republic here.

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs: To learn more about OCHA's activities, please visit https://www.unocha.org/.