Highlights
- With UNICEF support, the nationwide measles campaign has reached 1,052,708 Central African children aged 6 months to 10 years with measles vaccines (83% of children targeted), 527,031 children aged 6 to 59 months with Vitamin A (98% of target) and 426,847 children aged 12 to 59 months with deworming (88% of target).
- The UNICEF Education response remains underfunded with only 20% of humanitarian funding needs met. Without additional funding, access to education for nearly 30,000 children will be severely constrained.
- Security remains an ongoing concern. Throughout July, CAR experienced confrontations between armed groups in an effort to consolidate power and increase regional influence, including armed groups occupying schools in Zoukombo, Bakala and Mourouba.
- In July, UNICEF’s Rapid Response Mechanism reached 10,262 highly vulnerable persons (2,056 households) with critical non-food items including plastic sheeting, blankets, soap, buckets, plastic mats and mosquito nets.
Situation Overview & Humanitarian Needs
President Touadéra presented achievements of his first 100 days, warning that CAR remains "in danger," with entire regions still being controlled by armed groups.
As of June, CMP (Commission des Mouvements de Populations) reported 391,433 IDPs within CAR, confirming the slight decreasing trend in the country.
Since mid-June, an upsurge in violence against the civilian population in Ngaoundaye, Ouham-Pende prefecture, caused several casualties. A number of attacks and reprisals were reported between militia groups and herders supported by armed fighters. Many houses and properties were burned and looted. Clashes have forced some 20,000 people to flee towards other villages in the area and to neighboring Chad and Cameroon.
LRA activity in eastern CAR is on the rise as Uganda considers withdrawing troops deployed in the East as part of the AU forces. In particular, in the south-eastern part of the country, civilians in Haute Mbomou prefecture continue to pay a heavy toll under attacks allegedly perpetrated by the LRA: since January 2016, the group has abducted nearly 350 people, of which 65 are children (39 still missing). Widespread short term displacement has been reported involving some 20,000 people while 13,985 additional individuals still live in IDP sites in Obo, Zemio, Mboki and Bria. Logistical constraints make efforts to provide assistance extremely challenging.