The United Nations High Commission for Refugees has launched a $164m appeal to provide life-saving assistance and protection to nearly 1.5 million displaced Central African Republic citizens.
The assistance also covers the 210,000 people who fled a new bout of violence related to the December 2020 presidential elections, UNHCR spokesperson, Boris Cheshirkov, stated on Friday.
Violence fuelling the humanitarian crisis has forced nearly one third of CAR’s 4.7 million people to flee.
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According to Cheshirkov, since the new crisis erupted, some 100,000 people have been displaced inside CAR, while neighbouring Cameroon, Chad, Democratic Republic Congo and the Republic of Congo have received 111,000 new arrivals, as refugees continue to cross daily.
“To enable UNHCR’s targeted and timely protection and assistance to the displaced Central Africans and their hosts, and to ensure our support to governments and other partners, we require urgent financial contributions. Unless funding is swiftly made available, we will be forced to reduce or halt vital assistance, even as the needs are rising.
“The appeal includes: ‘$35.2m to address the ongoing protection crisis and to help us support the most vulnerable children and families, to prevent and respond to gender-based violence, and for monitoring, registration and documentation,” the UN stated.
It budgeted $13.7m for shelter and essential relief to the displaced living in dire conditions inside CAR and neighbouring countries, and who now depend on the generosity of host communities. Another $27.8m was estimated for health, nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene to prevent the spread of diseases.
It added that funds for UNHCR’s humanitarian response to support displaced Central Africans were already critically low, and under severe pressure due to the rising needs of refugees and their host communities.
“We are urgently appealing to the international community to mobilise resources to protect and assist the displaced Central Africans and their hosts,” UNHCR pleaded.
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