The situation has generally improved in the Central African Republic (CAR), but humanitarian needs remain high as a result of the conflict that has persisted for over a decade, and the recent impact of the war in Sudan and insecurity in the northwestern border region with Chad. 2.8 million people -- 46 per cent of the population - are extremely vulnerable in 2024, to the extent that humanitarian assistance alone will not be sufficient to restore their well-being. "We refined needs through early consultations with authorities and affected communities in the interior of the country, and found out 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", explained Mr. Mohamed Ag Ayoya, Humanitarian Coordinator in CAR.

To meet the needs of the most vulnerable Central Africans, the CAR Government and the Humanitarian Country Team officially launched today the 2024 Humanitarian Response Plan. The humanitarian community is seeking to meet urgent needs of 1.9 million of the most vulnerable people, and is calling for the mobilization of US$ 367.7 million. In responding to these needs, the humanitarian community will ensure addressing multisectoral needs in the face of various vulnerabilities, prioritizing protection throughout all sectors, and localizing the 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 strengthening the resilience of populations by promoting durable solutions to displacement.

Civilians continue to bear the brunt of the violence that has forced to displacement one in five Central Africans either within the country or abroad, and logistical and security constraints significantly hamper the efforts of humanitarian actors to provide them with required assistance. In 2023, at least one security incident affected humanitarian actors every two days. One humanitarian actor was killed and four other were injured. "When humanitarian actors are attacked, access to water, food, education, health and many other vital services is threatened for hundreds of thousands of Central Africans", stressed Mr. Ayoya, condemning this violence against humanitarian actors.

Thanks to donors' generosity in 2023, 2 million of the most vulnerable Central Africans received vital assistance in at least one sector, particularly in regions that have been inaccessible by road for several years. "The humanitarian community is extremely grateful to donors, whom I thank for their generosity in 2023, and I invite them not to forget Central Africans in 2024, in the face of the ever-changing dynamics of emergency aid funding at global level," concluded Mr. Ayoya.