More than 1 Million Children in Urgent Need of Assistance after Three Years of Fighting in Central African Republic
NEW YORK (November 27, 2015) – An estimated 1.2 million children are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance nearly three years after conflict erupted in the Central African Republic.
As the nation prepares to welcome Pope Francis Sunday for a two-day visit aimed at promoting reconciliation, UNICEF is calling on all parties to the conflict to grant unrestricted access to organizations seeking to aid those affected by the crisis.
“The violence that has plagued this country has had a devastating impact on the lives of children,” said Mohamed Fall, UNICEF’s Representative in the Central African Republic. “The humanitarian needs are overwhelming, to meet them we need access and we need greater international support.”
UNICEF estimates that more than two million children have been affected by the violence which first broke out in December 2012 and which reached crisis levels in December 2013 following clashes that led to the displacement of hundreds of thousands in the capital, Bangui.
Nearly 400,000 people remain displaced within the country, and renewed clashes in September created an additional 39,000 internally displaced people in Bangui. A further half a million people are living as refugees in neighboring countries.
Insecurity and underfunding continue to put urgent lifesaving activities at risk, while attacks on humanitarian conveys threaten the deployment of relief supplies to the interior of the country.
Even in those areas not affected by the fighting, communities continue to need support. Around one third of the population has no access to safe drinking water and 41 percent of children under five are chronically malnourished.
Despite the scale of the emergency, UNICEF has received $37 million – or just over 50 percent – of the $70.9 million required to provide urgent lifesaving interventions for the most vulnerable in 2015.
A song for peace, written and sung by children, has been playing on radio stations ahead of the Pope’s arrival. The song’s lyrics, which call for national unity and an end to the fighting, were submitted by three children in response to a UNICEF-organized competition with the leading radio broadcaster in the country, Radio Ndeke Luka. Three other children were selected to perform the song.
“We are hopeful that the voices of these children will be heard, and that the Pope’s visit to CAR will promote reconciliation, in a country that is in desperate need of peace,” said Mohamed Fall.
A recording of the song for peace can be found here.
Photos and videos from the Central African Republic are available at: http://uni.cf/1w3X7RC
About UNICEF
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) works in more than 190 countries and territories to put children first. UNICEF has helped save more children’s lives than any other humanitarian organization, by providing health care and immunizations, clean water and sanitation, nutrition, education, emergency relief and more. The U.S. Fund for UNICEF supports UNICEF's work through fundraising, advocacy and education in the United States. Together, we are working toward the day when no children die from preventable causes and every child has a safe and healthy childhood. For more information, visit www.unicefusa.org.
For more information, contact:
Sophie Aziakou, U.S. Fund for UNICEF, 917.720.1397, saziakou@unicefusa.org