Highlights

• FOMUC transforms into FOMAC on 12 July
• Humanitarian appeal for energy in Bangui
• $ 10 million from Peace Building Fund for CAR
• Safe water for over 10,000 inhabitants of Bouar
• CAP Mid-year review 2008: $ 114 million requested

Background and security

FOMUC transforms into FOMAC
The Deputy Secretary-General of the Economic Community of Central African States (CEEAC), Egidio De Sousa Santos from Angola, confirmed on 1 July in Kinshasa that the Multi-national Force of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (FOMUC) will transform into the Multi-national Force of the CEEAC (FOMAC) during a ceremony on 12 July in Bangui.

Mr. de Sousa Santo declared that he visited the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the current CEEAC chair, to inform President Joseph Kabila on the progress made in preparing the transfer of the political and operational general command of the force to the CEEAC. The FOMAC will be a non-permanent force made up of military contingents from member states and charged with peace-keeping security missions in CAR and providing support for humanitarian aid.

Current events

Energy and water crisis in Bangui
Referring to the insufficient supply of electricity and water in the capital for the past two weeks, Prime Minister Faustin Touadéra on 2 July launched an appeal for urgent humanitarian assistance to bilateral and multilateral development partners. In particular, he requested a donation of large capacity electrical generators to supply energy to essential government and social services.

$ 10 million from Peace Building Fund
After being placed on the United Nations Peace Building Commission’s agenda on 12 June, CAR was granted a $ 10 million package by the Peace Building Fund.  The package is destined to respond to immediate needs in security sector reform, the promotion of good governance and the rule of law, and the recovery of conflict-struck communities.

A familiarization workshop on the operational framework of the Peace Building Fund was organized in Bangui on 1 July by the Office of the United Nations in the Central African Republic (BONUCA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in collaboration with the Ministry of Economy, of Planning and the International Cooperation.  The workshop brought together members of different ministerial departments, UN agencies, NGOs, and civil society organizations.

In his opening address, Sylvain Maliko, Minister of State, explained that the Peace Building Fund is a structure set up by the UN to help post-conflict countries through rapid interventions in areas which are critical to the consolidation of peace.

Furthermore, in the context of the preparations for the Inclusive Political Dialogue, BONUCA organized a training workshop on participation in large meetings for all actors of the national political scene from 25 to 28 June.  With this training, BONUCA intended to equip the different main players of the Central African crisis with appropriate communication and negotiation skills.

Study on water and sanitation in CAR
The African Development Bank (AfDB) has allocated one million EURO to the Central African Government to conduct a preparatory study on the supply of safe drinking water to the 16 provincial capitals in CAR.  The study aims at defining projects that will sustainably contribute to meeting the needs for clean drinking water, evacuating waste water and collecting rubbish.

Safe water for inhabitants of Bouar
In January 2008 Mercy Corps, an American NGO, opened an office in Bouar in the north west of CAR and started the implementation of a water and hygiene education project. Access to clean water is a key problem in the town as the urban water supply system is virtually non functional.

Since then, 25 community educators sensitized 32,000 people on the importance of good hygiene.  Consultations were held with the inhabitants of 28 neighbourhoods in order to identify water sources that could feasibly be improved and become a community well.  Next to technical criteria, the proprietor of the source had to be willing to sign an agreement with the community to give them access to his well.  Through this process, 12 water sources were selected to be transformed into community wells, which are currently providing safe water to over 10,000 inhabitants of Bouar.

Children enjoying safe water in Bouar

The project is funded by the Emergency Response Fund (ERF) and Mercy Corps’ private funds. Building on their success, the NGO obtained additional ERF funding to expand hygiene education to populations in villages surrounding Bouar and to further improve water infrastructure in the town by drilling three boreholes, installing six pumps and protecting another 12 community wells.

For more information: jhanson@cr.mercycorps.org

187 PTA members trained in Batangafo
The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) implements an emergency education project in the north-western province of Ouham addressing the needs of 12,000 children.  As part of this project, the NGO organized a four days training from 17 to 20 June for the executive members of the Parent Teacher Associations (PTA) of 40 schools in the triangle Batangafo, Kabo and Ouandago, and along the roads north, west and south of Batangafo.

A total of 187 participants out of the 200 PTA members invited, including 49 women, attended the training. The sessions were facilitated by trainers from the Regional Educational Center in Bossangoa, who had earlier participated in a training-of-trainers conducted by external NRC specialists.

For more information: country.director@car.nrc.no

Coordination

CAP Mid-year review 2008
For the remainder of 2008, the humanitarian strategy has been built on the assumption that the peace agreements in place will hold, but that crime, foreign incursions, fights between herdsmen and farmers and other violence will continue to create humanitarian needs.

Building on the Needs Analysis Framework, which brings together all available data in one comprehensive, analytical document, the HDPT has revised its strategy for the second half of 2008.  The overall strategic priorities remain the same – providing protection and emergency assistance, and linking humanitarian assistance to recovery and development – but the objectives and projects in each sector have been rigorously reviewed.

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Contact us: UN OCHA Bangui, CAR
Nancy Snauwaert | snauwaert@un.org | +236 75 54 22 78
Gisèle Willybiro | willybiro@un.org | +236 75 54 90 31