Violent clashes following the death of a motorcycle taxi driver have put residents of Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic (CAR), on edge once again as the country prepares for elections as part of an ongoing political transition following a 2013 coup.
Threats to humanitarian organizations have also increased in the country, including against Action Against Hunger, which had its Bangui facility looted during recent rioting.
“Our offices have been completely ransacked and destroyed, said Alexandre Le Cuziat, Action Against Hunger’s Regional Director of Operations for Africa. “We are concerned for all people affected by these new violence for the beneficiaries of our programs, especially the most vulnerable among them, children and displaced families.”
He says the insecurity, which is a strain on humanitarian workers as well as citizens of Central African Republic, is endangering 2.7 million people in the fragile country who rely on assistance from organizations like Action Against Hunger.
Thanks to your support, Action Against Hunger helped 367,114 people in Central African Republic in 2014, including more than 100,000 in remote areas where displaced people have sought refuge. This includes treating more than 10,000 children under five for malnutrition – as well as 800 children admitted and treated this year in Bangui alone.
Carrie Lehmeier, a representative of the International Humanitarian Assistance division of the Canadian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (DFATD), recently visited Action Against Hunger’s team in Bangui.
She toured the Therapeutic Nutrition Unit within the Bangui Pediatric Centre (BPC) and met with the head of its medical team, Jean Chrysostome Gody, along with Action Against Hunger staff who have been providing ongoing technical and material support to the BPC.
The BPC delivers lifesaving treatment for children under the age of five. Thanks to your assistance, Action Against Hunger is treating more than 40% of cases of severe acute malnutrition in the country.
CAR is one of the poorest countries in the world, with a Human Development Index ranking of 180 out of 186 countries. Its infant mortality rate of 164 out of 1,000 births is one of the highest in the world. The country’s humanitarian situation has deteriorated since civil war broke out in 2012, and this year it is estimated that 56% of the population will require humanitarian assistance.
Thanks to your support, Action against Hunger has been assisting citizens of the CAR for nine years – including refugees from CAR currently living in neighbouring Chad and Cameroon.
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