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Press Releases & Updates

17 FEB 2014

African Crises - Central African Republic Update

Latest Situation
A conflict in the Central African Republic has broken out since the March coup by the Seleka rebel coalition.
• According to the United Nations, 1.3 million people are in need of immediate food assistance. 90% of people are already only eating once a day.

• Food traders flee as widespread violence continues to worsen. Fewer than 10 food wholesalers now remain. Market collapse will exacerbate the current food crisis. 

• Approximately 922,000 people, including 496,000 in Bangui are displaced within CAR. Around 245,000 people are refugees in neighbouring Cameroun, DRC, Congo-Brazzaville and Chad.

• Approximately 20,000 new refugees arrived in Chad since January 2013, bringing the total number of refugees from South African Republic to over 80,000. In addition to refugees, more than 45,000 Chadians from South African Republic have returned to Chad since December 2013.


Oxfam’s Response
Oxfam’s response is being implemented in Bangui:
• Oxfam are working in around six refugee sites in Bangui. Approximately 16,000 people will be reached.

• We have started water trucking activities to increase water supply in the site of “Eglise Castors”, where the number of displaced people is estimated to be around 20,000.  We aim at providing safe water to around 40,000 people.

• We will build and improve existent latrines, latrine pits desludging, hygiene kits distributions, and hygiene promotion at a community level.

• We will provide unconditional cash-transfers to the displaced people living on sites, plus residents in the affected neighbourhoods.

• Our team is also exploring options for increasing food delivery in other sites through unconditional cash transfer/ vouchers/ in-kind as per need and specificity of the site.