A slideshow of our most popular photos on Flickr

You can find more of our pictures on our Flickr account. Most photos on HDPT CAR were taken by Pierre Holtz.

Deep in the southwest of the Central African Republic, far from the violence and humanitarian crisis of the northern prefectures, lies the Dzanga-Sangha reserve.  Nearly 500 kilometres (300 miles) from the capital Bangui, the reserve offers some of the most beautiful and pristine wildlife that can be found in Africa and, indeed, the world.

However, distance in this case can be deceiving; reaching Dzanga-Sangha often takes between nine to twelve hours by truck.  Road conditions in the Central African Republic are challenging during the dry season, and roads frequently become impassible during the rainy season, making reaching the park difficult, and occasionally impossible. Continue Reading »

More than 2,700 internally displaced persons (IDPs) are currently living on a site near Kabo, Central African Republic, and new people are arriving every day. Returning from the site, a joint evaluation mission, including staff from OCHA and BONUCA, as well as donor representatives, described the humanitarian situation as very precarious.

Meeting with the mayor of Kabo, members of the mission were told that NGOs had been successful in addressing the most urgent problems. For example, the NGO Solidarités installed a water pump providing clean drinking water on the IDP site and the local health centre receives help from Medecins Sans Frontières (MSF). Continue Reading »

Late September, the United Nations Country Team in the Central African Republic sent its first one-week assessment mission to the troubled Ngaoundaye region in the extreme north-west of the country.

We are posting the first set of photos they brought back: Images of children in front of their destroyed homes, in what used to be one of CAR’s model development regions. Click on the photo for a full-screen slideshow.

A three-year old child sits in the ruins of a house in Birao. Insecurity and displacement has not only disrupted income-generating activities, but also schooling and delivery of basic health services.
© UNICEF | Pierre Holtz