For more information or for contributions to this newsletter, please contact:
Laura Fultang | fultangl@un.org | +236 70 18 80 64
Gisèle Willybiro- Maïdou | willybiro@un.org | +236 70 18 80 61
This is a plea for the Central African Republic. The Central African Republic (CAR) today finds itself in a state of chronic medical emergency. Five separate retrospective mortality surveys, carried out by MSF and other researchers, in prefectures accounting for the majority of the population, show excess mortality above what is considered to be the “emergency threshold.”
And yet the commitment by the country’s government and by the international community is going in the wrong direction. The government has been decreasing its investments in health, as have international donors, while humanitarian assistance has failed to reduce the widespread medical crisis.
The risk is high that the Central African Republic will become trapped: not considered urgent enough for significant emergency aid; not considered trustworthy enough for meaningful development assistance.
For the sake of CAR’s 4.4 million people, this cannot be allowed to happen. Existing levels of medical assistance are plainly insufficient to the scale of the needs. The country needs more actors conducting larger medical operations that reach more of the population.
In this paper, we outline the experiences, analyses and concerns of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) after 14 years working in the country. The report opens with a summary of the published evidence on CAR’s mortality over the past 18 months by MSF and other researchers. We then analyse the various causes for this before summarising the inadequate existing levels of assistance provided by all the various actors, including firstly the government of CAR, but also the international community including ourselves. We conclude with a call for greater medical assistance to the country.
Central African Republic: Humanitarian presence in the field (October 2011)
This map shows humanitarian actor’s sub-office and base locations in the field in the CAR. The map was produced by the OCHA office in Bangui with the generous support of the humanitarian community. Download the map in PDF (126KB) here: English version | Version française
Central African Republic: Areas of intervention per cluster (October 2011)
These maps show the areas of intervention of humanitarian projects in the CAR by cluster. The maps were produced by the cluster leads and co-leads with the generous support of the humanitarian community. Download the maps in PDF (655KB) here: English version | Version française
Find all map products for CAR from the HDPT community on the Maps pages of the HDPT CAR website http://hdptcar.net/blog/maps/. We hope that these products will be useful to your work.
Central African Republic: Consolidated Appeal 2011 Mid-Year Review
In the midst of a still-fragile regional context, the Central African Republic (CAR) has achieved a significant step towards peace consolidation, with the peaceful holding of national elections in early 2011. In spite of the many claims put forward by the opposition regarding the legitimacy of the parliamentary election results, incumbent President Bozize was re-elected for a second term without major incidents. However, this important achievement has not yet brought the anticipated improvements for the vast majority of the CAR population.
In the north-west where the majority of the internally displaced people are located, little progress has been made towards building an environment conducive to durable returns. Similarly, CAR refugees in both Cameroon and Chad await further guarantees before returning to their home country. Whilst a comprehensive reintegration strategy has been agreed by the Government and its partners, no concrete steps have yet been taken in the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) process, in spite of the strong will of the Government to do so.
Assistance to the displaced in Kamba Kota and Batangafo in Ouham province
Departure of Toby Lanzer, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in CAR
Background and security
Deadly attack near Sibut
On 16 July, bandits, also known as zaraguinas, opened fire on the vehicle of the official representative of the Forestry Ministry, Pierre Ndikini, in the region of Sibut, about 180 km north of Bangui. Mr. Ndikini was fatally wounded and died soon after in the Sibut hospital. The next day, another attack targeted the truck of a humanitarian NGO in the same region. Continue Reading »
Mission of the Peace Building Commission CAR configuration, 10 – 12 June
Supporting health care systems in Paoua and Ngaoundaye
Assistance to the displaced of Kamba Kota by the International Committee of the Red Cross
Mission to the far south east of CAR, 2 – 9 July
Background and security
Mission of the PBC CAR configuration
Pursuant to CAR having been placed on the agenda of the Peace Building Commission (PBC) on 12 June, a mission lead by Jan Grauls, Ambassador of Belgium with the United Nations and Chairperson of the CAR configuration of the PBC, visited Bangui from 10 to 12 July. Continue Reading »
The Central African Republic has been named one of the “top ten most underreported humanitarian stories of 2007” by Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières / MSF). The international NGO cited the ongoing violence in CAR’s northwest with its toll on civilians, but also includes the conflicts in Somalia, Chechnya, Myanmar and new medical challenges such as drug-resistant tuberculosis. Continue Reading »
MSF Press Release, Paris, June 13, 2007 – On Monday June 11, 2007, Elsa Serfass was struck by a bullet while travelling in the Ngaoundai region of northwest Central African Republic (CAR). She died at 12.30pm local time.
Elsa was travelling with two other Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) staff to Ngaoundai for the purpose of evaluating the health needs in the area. The rebel group the Popular Army for the Restoration of Democracy (APRD) is known to be active in this region. MSF duly informed in advance leaders of this group, as well as the other parties to the conflict, of the team’s movements. Elsa and her colleagues were travelling in a vehicle clearly identified with the MSF logo. Continue Reading »
The tragic death of Elsa Serfass is a terrible shock for MSF and we mourn her loss. Our thoughts are with her family and friends.
Paris/Bangui, June 11, 2007: It is with great sadness that Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has learned of the death of one of its volunteers in the Central African Republic. Elsa Serfass, a 27-year-old French citizen, was killed today by gunfire during an assessment mission in the northwestern part of the country. Ms. Serfass was on her first assignment with MSF, working as a logistician.
Elsa was based in Paoua, working in MSF’s project providing assistance to victims of ongoing violence. The northwest region of the Central African Republic is in the grip of a conflict between rebel groups and armed government forces. Criminal acts are also frequent and armed highway robbers often take advantage of the instability. Continue Reading »
About HDPT Central African Republic
The Humanitarian and Development Partnership Team (HDPT) unites all organizations working to alleviate the humanitarian and development crisis in the Central African Republic: United Nations agencies, the Red Cross Movement, NGOs and other organizations. For more information, visit About HDPT CAR or email us at info[at]hdptcar.net
Interviews with Dr Ione
Dr Ione describes her incredible experiences in the Central African Republic. A thrilling eye-witness account of the country’s history.
The Central African Republic has been named one of the “top ten most underreported humanitarian stories of 2007” by Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières / MSF). The international NGO cited the ongoing violence in CAR’s northwest with its toll on civilians, but also includes the conflicts in Somalia, Chechnya, Myanmar and new medical challenges such as drug-resistant tuberculosis. 
MSF Press Release, Paris, June 13, 2007 – On Monday June 11, 2007, Elsa Serfass was struck by a bullet while travelling in the Ngaoundai region of northwest Central African Republic (CAR). She died at 12.30pm local time.
