Highlights

• Vakaga - humanitarian challenges
• ECOFAC based attacked at Manovo park
• Support for education projects in Ndélé

Background and security

Violence in Vakaga region
On 25 June, the heads of UN agencies and the United Nations Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS) in Central Africa along with the United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad (MINURCAT) visited the town of Birao.

The visit aimed to analyze the current context and its humanitarian consequences on the population of Birao who have been affected by attacks on the city by armed groups on June 6 and 21 following which humanitarian workers sought refuge at the MINURCAT base in Birao until calm was restored.

This series of attacks reflects growing tension between the ethnic group linked to the l’Union des Forces Démocratiques pour le Rassemblement (UFDR), the Goula, and the other main ethnic group in the region, the Kara.

At least 3,000 people have been affected by the attacks, and a significant number of houses were burnt to the ground.

United Nations humanitarian organisations in the Central African Republic have expressed their deep concern on the spiralling violence in the Vakaga, a region where more than 60,000 people are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.

ECOFAC base at Manovo park under attack
On Tuesday June 23 at 4 pm, a group of about thirty armed men entered the village of Manovo in a national park about 30 km east of Ndélé in CAR’s north-east. Manovo is where the Ecosystème Forestier en Afrique Centrale (ECOFAC) has their base; ECOFAC are responsible for the monitoring and conservation of wildlife.

The attackers, taking advantage of some time off for the ECOFAC employees, fired a number of shots, causing panic amongst the local population. The assailants then attacked the home of the park’s director and some trackers, and proceeded to loot ECOFAC property including a vehicle, radios and motor bicycles.

Two guards, along with their families, chose to join the attackers who reportedly fled in the direction of the north-west.

The Central African Armed Forces (FACA) secured the village on 24 June but the local people have not yet returned home.

News

Support for education projects in Ndélé
NGO ACTED has just completed work on 2 blocs of 2 latrines and 1 school building with 3 classrooms, a shop and a principal’s office in the town of Ndélé in CAR’s North-east.

The project involved the local workforce and the provision of construction materials (sand and rubble), with the technical support of ACTED, as well as the World Food Program (WFP)’s ‘Food for Work’ programme and some financing from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

Carried out over a period of 7 months, this project aims to contribute towards an improvement of the quality of teaching for the schoolchildren of Ndélé and its outskirts.

Other schools have been identified for the same approach.

«Classroom built by ACTED»

For more information: Yannick Deville, ACTED | (236) 72 29 50 06 | yannick.deville@acted.org

Agricultural practices adapting to climate change
Between 29 June and 4 July the NGO Danish Refugee Council (DRC) brought together 100 technical experts and local facilitators from 50 community groups in the Bamingui Bangoran prefecture for a workshop on new agricultural techniques.

This workshop, the first of the series aims to update and adjust current agricultural techniques to respond to climate change as well as the military and political crisis.

«Application of techniques»

The objective is to work together with farmers to develop agricultural techniques which are better suited to improve harvests.

Topics discussed during the workshop include the preparation of the soil, sowing, some technological inputs on soil and crop maintenance as well as the setting out of the agricultural calendar.

5 other sessions will follow on the techniques of harvest, storage and marketing of these food products.

The workshop was held in partnership with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Program (WFP) which has helped strengthen the capacity of these community groups in suitable agricultural techniques.
For more information: Said Karmoui, DRC | (236) 72 72 48 27 | drccar@drc.dk

Health

Primary healthcare targeted in Ndélé
A capacity building training session for volunteers from the Central African Red Cross movement wrapped up on July 1 in Ndélé. The session was organised by the NGO Aide Médicale Internationale (AMI) and aims to prepare staff for door to door awareness-raising on primary health care issues.

July 1 also marks the launch of the door to door primary healthcare campaign, a campaign which aims to facilitate direct communication with local people which will allow the development of healthy habits and greater awareness of health education.

The campaign will also include an evaluation of healthcare problems; the results will facilitate greater awareness of health issues in over 2,000 homes in Ndélé.

Two volunteers from the Red Cross have also been deployed at the regional hospital in Ndélé to guide and inform patients of services available within the hospital.

The support of the NGO AMI in the region has made medical consultation more accessible as well as making medicines available free of charge, it has contributed to 4 health centres and the regional hospital in Ndélé in terms of primary health care and the provision of medicine to the population of the prefecture of Bamingui Bangoran.

The support also includes care for pregnant women and children younger than 5 in 7 medical centres through the maternal and child health (MCH) programme as well as the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI).

For more information: Céline Gelin, AMI | (236) 72 70 32 10 | ndele.rdp.sat@amifrance.org

Contact Us :
Boris NGOUAGOUNI | (236) 70 18 80 61 | ngouagouni@un.org

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