- The Central African Republic’s reliance on humanitarian aid, weak governance, and impunity of rampant violence endanger the stability of the country and the region, says International Rescue Committee.
- New report warns of continued humanitarian needs: of the estimated US$613 million required to respond to immediate needs, only 30% has been delivered as of June 2015.
- The International Rescue Committee calls for international action to address forgotten crisis.
New York, NY, July 20, 2015 — The Central African Republic (CAR), one of the poorest countries in the world, suffers not only from mass atrocities and misrule, but also a dangerous dependence on aid, said the International Rescue Committee in a report released today. Since early 2013 over half of CAR’s population has been the victim of sectarian violence that has cost over 6,000 deaths leaving 2.7 million people in need of emergency assistance.
The report, “Too Soon to Turn Away: Security, Governance and Humanitarian Need in the Central African Republic,” documents the risks that civilians and aid workers face daily, while projecting what food and shelter needs could be through the end of 2015 according to different levels of violence and funding.
“The Central African Republic needs a new start, or it will become the case study of a failed state," said David Miliband, president and CEO of the International Rescue Committee. “The scale of humanitarian suffering, fueled by a complete lack of law and order, is happening far from the spotlight but endangers an already fragile and dangerous region. Underfunded humanitarian aid programs are a lifeline for more than half the population, but they need more and different help.”
The report is based on field research conducted in the Central African Republic in March 2015 and draws on surveys and interviews with conflict-affected Central Africans. It recommends that while immediate humanitarian aid is critical to saving lives, comprehensive international investment and diplomatic engagement should address the root causes of conflict, provide security in ungoverned space, and plan for sustainable economic development.
According to UNHCR, 465,824 people have fled the country to already fragile neighboring states to escape persecution. The situation of the country’s 458,000 internally displaced people is desperate: 39% live in camps which are makeshift, overcrowded, and remain dangerous. Sanitation is poor and access to clean water is limited, threatening to spread disease. Overall, the crisis has had the following devastating impact.
- 80% of health facilities that remain open depend on humanitarian aid;
- Harvests have decreased by 58% and 1.52 million people are food insecure;
- The IRC received over 1,500 reports of gender-based violence, of which 71% were rapes; and
- 454,634 tons of food have been pillaged before reaching people in need.
The International Rescue Committee has been on the ground in CAR since 2006.
CAR can’t break the decades-long cycle of violence and humanitarian need without serious investment in strengthening governance and security. The pact adopted by over 700 local leaders and parties to the conflict at the Bangui Forum in May 2015, if properly implemented, offers a roadmap towards peaceful recovery. The Central African Republic is due to hold presidential and parliamentary elections on October 18 and November 22, 2015.
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The International Rescue Committee has been on the ground in the Central African Republic since 2006 and is working towards repairing social cohesion in by laying the foundation for recovery and self-reliance and by supporting populations who return home after having been displaced, facilitating their economic recovery and restoring access to quality basic services. But access remains difficult, as the lack of any accountability mechanism makes nongovernmental organizations the targets of attacks. Convoys have been looted and staff is often harassed, and sometimes killed – 18 aid workers in 2014 alone. The IRC operates in Bangui, Kaga Bandoro, and Bocaranga, helping protect women and rebuild civil society, deliver food, and provide basic health care through two mobile clinics, but it is not nearly enough and is not a sustainable solution for a desperate population.
The International Rescue Committee responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is at work in over 40 countries and 29 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. Learn more at www.rescue.org and follow the IRC on Twitter & Facebook.