At the end of April, the United Nations opened its new base in Ndélé, the capital of the Bamingui-Bangoran prefecture in northern CAR. The base, which has been constructed by the Swedish Rescue Services Agency (SRSA) with funding from the Swedish government, will provide office space and accommodation for 6 people and will be open to all humanitarian and development organisations working in the area.

The large Bamingui-Bangoran prefecture borders Chad and the CAR’s northeastern Vakaga region. In 2006, Ndélé momentarily gained international notoriety when the town was occupied by the UFDR rebel group during its bid to overthrow President Bozizé in Bangui. Since then, a peace agreement has been signed between UFDR and the CAR government, and fighting in and around the town has ended. The relative calm has revealed the extent of humanitarian and development needs in the region. Indeed, the extremely poor state of roads in the prefecture means the population is virtually cut off from any economic activities, as well as from almost all contact with Bangui. The health, education, and water and sanitation systems are in a state of disrepair, with an acute lack of teachers, nurses and other civil servants.

View Larger Map

Meeting humanitarian needs

To date, only one international NGO, Aide Medical International (AMI) has been present in Ndélé, supporting the town hospital and providing access to basic medical care in the surrounding areas. Luckily, other NGOs are about to join them. In the coming weeks, Solidarités will kick off projects to build pumps and latrines and improve people’s access to food in the prefecture. In addition, ACTED is getting ready to repair 8 bridges on the key trading route between Ndélé and Kaga-Bandoro, which will make the road passable during the rainy season. As for the United Nations, several agencies will have permanent staff in Ndélé to carry out projects in the Bamingui-Bangoran, ranging from microfinance activities to schools rehabilitation and seeds and tools distribution.

Commenting on the opening of the base, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Toby Lanzer said “the United Nations is very proud to be present in Ndélé, and to work with NGOs, the CAR government, and other partners to help the population of Bamingui-Bangoran meet their most urgent needs and pull themselves out of poverty.” CAR’s government was represented by its Minister of Social Affairs, Marie-Solange Pagonendji, who thanked the United Nations for their support to the prefecture, and who called on the population of Ndélé to take good care of the base, and to take the lead in the development of their communities. Also present at the inauguration were representatives of SRSA, and representatives of national authorities, religious communities, and civil society groups in Ndélé.