Over 600,000 People Face Alarming Food Crisis in Central African Republic

Bangui: At least 80,000 children under the age of five are currently at risk of severe acute malnutrition across the Central African Republic (CAR) – a 29 per cent increase compared to projections for 2021, UNICEF and the World Food Programme (WFP) said Wednesday. 
 
The UN agencies also warned that over 632,000 people – more than 1 in 8 people – will fall into a catastrophic hunger situation between the first week of July and the end of the lean season without urgent action. 
 
Across the country, 40 per cent of children under five are already suffering from chronic malnutrition, a rate above the emergency threshold of 30 per cent.

As a result of the combined impact of violence, insecurity, population displacement, limited access to food, health and water and sanitation services, and the rise in food prices, as well as the socio-economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, 27 localities across 14 health districts of the country are currently showing alarming levels of severe acute malnutrition among children under the age of five. 
 
Based on the most recent data gathered from partners, on average more than 2 per cent of children in these areas suffer from severe acute malnutrition. 
 
These figures rise to above 3 per cent in displacement camps around Bouar, close to the border with Cameroon.
 
"We are extremely concerned about the impact of the ongoing crisis on the lives of children and women, especially those who were already in a state of extreme vulnerability after being forced to flee their homes, or who are living in hard-to-reach or isolated areas," said UNICEF’s Representative in CAR, Fran Equiza, in a press release issued on Wednesday. 
 
Since the last wave of violence linked to recent elections, malnutrition rates in CAR have continued to soar, especially among displaced populations and in conflict-affected locations, where access to essential health, water and sanitation and nutrition services was already limited and has been further restricted. 
 
In these areas, the potential emergence of measles, malaria, pneumonia and diarrhoea may have a devastating effect on malnourished children and mothers.

 
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