UNICEF estimates 1.2m children in need of humanitarian assistance in CAR

UNICEF estimates 1.2m children in need of humanitarian assistance in CAR

UNICEF estimates 1.2m children in need of humanitarian assistance in CAR

The UN Childrens’ Emergency Fund (UNICEF) says
an estimated 1.2 million children are now in
urgent need of humanitarian assistance in the
Central African Republic (CAR).
According to a statement from the
agency on Monday in New York,
UNICEF’s Representative in the CAR,
Mohamed Fall, said: “the violence that
has plagued this country has had a
devastating impact on the lives of
children.’’
It stated that to meet the overwhelming
humanitarian needs, access to greater
international support was essential.
According to UNICEF estimates, no fewer
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.
It stated that about 400,000 people
remained displaced within the country
and renewed clashes in September
created an additional 39,000 internally
displaced people in Bangui.
It added that a further half a million
people were living as refugees in
neighbouring countries.
UNICEF said that insecurity and
underfunding had continued to put
urgent life saving activities at risk.
Meanwhile attacks on humanitarian
convoys threatened the deployment of
relief supplies to the interior of the
country.
UNICEF then called on all parties to the
conflict to grant unrestricted access to
organisations seeking to assist those
affected by the crisis.
The agency said that even in areas that
were not affected by the conflict,
communities continued to need support,
with nearly one third of the population
having no access to safe drinking water.
It stated that another 41 per cent of
children under five were malnourished.
The agency said that of the required 70.9
million dollars in funds required to
provide urgent lifesaving interventions
for the most vulnerable in 2015, UNICEF
only received 37 million dollars.
This, it added, was just over 50 per cent
of the required amount, in spite of the
scale of the emergency.