• Nine soldiers killed in an ambush close to the Chadian border
• Protecting the displaced in the north-west from malaria
• Training in microfinance and on political participation of women
• Civil-military coordination workshop in Bangui on 12 November

Background and security

Nine soldiers killed in an ambush

Nine Central African soldiers were killed on 11 November in an ambush laid by presumed rebels at Nobandja, 50 km from the Chadian border and about 400 km north of Bangui.

Their army vehicle was destroyed by a rocket-propelled grenade. The village chief and his wife were also reportedly killed during the attack. The government soldiers were coming back to their base in Kabo after a routine patrol carried out close to the Chadian border.

The attackers apparently belong to the Democratic Front for the Central African People (FDPC) of Abdoulaye Miskine, who signed a peace agreement with the government in February 2007. Following this agreement, the FDPC had not carried out any attacks until now.

The Office of the United Nations in CAR (BONUCA) strongly condemned the ambush and exhorted all political-military groups to exercise restraint in order to permit the effective implementation of the peace accords.

Vietnam-CAR diplomatic relations

Vietnam and CAR officially established diplomatic relations. A joint declaration was signed on 10 November in Hanoi by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Gia Khiem and his Central African counterpart Dieudonné Kombo-Yaya.

Current events

Protecting the displaced from malaria

A malaria agent performing a rapid test on a child

The MENTOR Initiative, an English NGO, has set up an emergency malaria control programme in the north of Ouham Pendé, the province in the far northwest of the country. The emergency programme consists of two phases: the first one is an indoor residual spraying campaign to provide immediate protection against malaria for the displaced and local populations. The campaign, launched in June and covering the villages of Mia Pendé, Nana Barya and Bah Bessar and the town of Paoua, has temporarily protected 17,952 houses from mosquitoes.

The door-to-door spraying also allowed for the dissemination of messages on malaria prevention and treatment. This first phase helped to prepare the population for the second step of the malaria control programme, which is the distribution of longlasting insecticide-treated mosquito nets. The implementation of this durable prevention strategy is scheduled for November and December.

To meet the health needs of the displaced population, MENTOR has established a network of “malaria agents”, who are working in their hiding places in the bush.

Thirty-two malaria agents have been trained in the use of rapid tests, the prescription of anti-malarial drugs for people who test positive, the referral of complicated cases to health centers or the hospital, the upkeep of consultations and drugs registers, and the administration of intermittent preventive treatment for pregnant women. Each agent is working within the community so that people suffering from malaria do not have to go further then five km. Regular supervision from the NGO’s medical team ensures the quality control of the diagnosis and the treatment as well as preventing shortages of drugs.

MENTOR plans to deploy nine more malaria agents on the road to Nana Barya in November.

For more information: jorge@mentor-initiative.net

Microfinance training in Boali

After a first series of microfinance trainings, the ‘Programme in support of the establishment of an inclusive financial sector’, an initiative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), is organizing a second training for the benefit of microfinance practitioners, namely consultants, councillors and staff of organizations specialized in this field. The workshop takes place from 27 October until 7 December in Boali, 90 km northwest of the capital.

The training programme includes sessions on debt control, calculating and setting interest rates, operational risk management, and the development of new microfinance products.

For more information: christian.ndotah@undp.org

Participation of women in politics

In line with BONUCA’s mandate to support capacitybuilding of national institutions in CAR, the office organized a workshop on the political participation of Central African women in the peace process in the country. The meeting, in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Affaires and National Solidarity, was held from 12 to 14 November in Bangui. The discussions should contribute to increase the representation of women and the visibility of their actions in the political life of the country, particularly in the political dialogue process and peace-building in general.

The following themes were discussed: the notion of female leaders and leadership for change, stocktaking of the political participation of women in CAR, strategies to increase their participation, and the immediate contribution to the ongoing peace process.

The 50 participating women originated from parliament, the Economic and Social Council, labour unions, the Organization of Central African Women, women lawyers, professional women from the communication and the informal sectors, the collective of political women and the youth network. For three days, they exchanged experiences on women’s participation in politics and they made recommendations to improve the current situation.

For more information: tourea@un.org

Coordination

Workshop on civil-military collaboration

The OCHA office in CAR organized a workshop on civil-military collaboration in Bangui on 12 November which was facilitated by the Civil-military Coordination Officer for Chad and the north-east of CAR. The meeting was part of a series of workshops which had started in March in Chad and are organized in each area of deployment of the European Force in CAR and Chad (EUFOR) and the United Nations Mission in CAR and Chad (MINURCAT).

The workshop introduced the United Nations reference documents on civil-military coordination from the view point of humanitarians. The meeting also helped to identify and define the main features of the civil-military relationships in CAR and to apply the principles of the reference documents to the field by sharing the experiences and the expertise of the participants.

The 31 representatives of humanitarian and military organizations came from NGOs, the International Committee of the Red Cross, United Nations entities, the Peace-building mission in CAR (MICOPAX), MINURCAT and EUFOR.

For more information: reck@un.org

Nancy Snauwaert | snauwaert@un.org | +236 75 54 22 78
Gisèle Willybiro | willybiro@un.org | +236 75 54 90 31

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News Bulletin 85 - English (PDF) - 119kb

This article appears in the 15 November 2008 Edition of BMJ. (BMJ 2008; 337:a2464)

Frédéric Courbet/Merlin/Panos Pictures

An international campaign to support rural health workers in the developing world has been launched “to give people caught up in conflict, disaster, and health system collapse the chance to lead healthy lives.”

The Hands Up for Health Workers campaign (www.handsupforhealthworkers.org), run by the UK medical charity Merlin, aims to ensure that all health workers in the developing world receive a regular wage and that workers in remote and isolated areas receive incentives to stay.

The charity also wants to secure funding to train the additional health workers who are needed to deliver essential health care, and to refresh the skills of existing ones. All health workers should also be able to practise in a safe and secure working environment, it says.

“No community, let alone country, can hope to achieve social and economic development without enough skilled and motivated health workers,” says the charity.

“Three of the eight millennium development goals cannot be reached without health workers. Billions of dollars in aid are spent on malaria, HIV/AIDS, and tuberculosis, yet such funding rarely covers the cost of skilled health workers—the very people who are central to tackling these diseases effectively.”
Merlin points out that a woman dies in childbirth every minute but that research shows that maternal mortality can be cut by nearly three quarters when women have access to reproductive health services, particularly trained midwives.

“The World Health Organization estimates that the continent [Africa] needs at least one million more health workers—from community midwives and nurses to doctors and pharmacists—to deliver quality essential health care.

Globally, four million more health workers are needed. Nowhere is this shortage more acute than in remote rural areas and countries caught up in conflict,” it says.

The campaign is being launched on 20 November with an exhibition at the Barbican, London, by renowned photographer Frédéric Courbet, who has documented the conditions of health workers in the Central African Republic.

One worker, called Arsène, is the only qualified health worker among the 10 staff at Ndomete health centre, in the Nana Gribizi district of the north central part of the country. His salary, less than £30 (€40; $50) a month, hasn’t been paid for more than six months. He said, “We used to treat an average of 20 patients a month. Now Merlin’s helped to rebuild the clinic and stock the pharmacy we see as many as 100 patients a day. I alone can’t provide all the care. I need support.”

Some people are shocked by the conditions. Olga Yetikoua, one of Merlin’s nurse supervisors, said, “CAR [the Central African Republic] has gone backwards. We don’t even have the minimum level of health care any more.

I’ve spent most of my professional life in Bangui, CAR’s capital, cushioned against reality. Coming here, I realised just how neglected our health services and health workers are. I literally had to start from zero.”

Merlin says, “To stem the needless loss of millions of lives, international donors and national governments must act now. Investment in health workers in countries caught up in conflict, disaster, and health system collapse must be made an absolute priority.”

Click here to download the article (PDF - 228KB)

Nov 2008/Holtz/UNICEF

For thousands of children living in the Central African Republic, their every day drinking water is a mass killer, said UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Joel Madden.

Madden, the leader of the rock band Good Charlotte, came to this conclusion after spending a week touring the country with his brother, Benji. The visit, to Bangui’s capital, as well as some of the remotest villages of the country, was organized by UNICEF’s office in CAR and the U.S. Fund for UNICEF.

“To come here and see these children dying just because they don’t have clean water to drink, I can’t accept that,” said Mr. Madden.

Madden was able to speak with numerous children and families whose lives continue to be negatively affected by water tainted by diseases. In Sam Ouandja, a town near the border with the Darfur region of Sudan that’s been attacked by rebels twice in the last year, Madden learned that 47% of children who die there each year succumb to water-related illnesses.

Nov 2008/Holtz/UNICEF

Trying to make water safe for the children and women of the CAR is one of UNICEF’s ongoing goals. In the last year, UNICEF has supported dozens of water projects, including repairing and drilling hundreds of wells for people living in conflict-affected areas. Thanks to these efforts, all prefectures affected by violence in the north of the country have access to UNICEF-sponsored water, sanitation and hygiene programmes. At the same time, many gaps remain at the community level.

“Without access every day to clean water sustainable development is impossible; returning to villages for displaced people is just a dream”, said Mahimbo Mdoe, UNICEF CAR representative. “We are facing a huge infrastructure deficit and we are struggling to get more and more support.”

Nov 2008/Holtz/UNICEF

Though a long-time activist on behalf of children, this was Madden’s first voyage to the CAR and his first mission as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. Madden requested to come to bring attention to the plight of this overlooked country where the Under-5 and maternal mortality rates are some of the worst in Africa.

With the Under-5 mortality rate at 176 per 1,000, one in five children do not live to see their fifth birthday. Maternal mortality rate reaches 1,355 per 100,000 and HIV/AIDS prevalence (6.2%) continues to wreak havoc amongst populations, particularly those made vulnerable by chronic poverty and the ongoing conflict.

At the end of the trip Madden called on the government of CAR to spend more on water. He also issued a plea to leaders of the developed nations and their young adults to become more active in helping fund solutions that can end preventable deaths.

“Every day children in CAR are dying from preventable diseases caused by a lack of safe water,” said Joel Madden. “The good news is that we can stop this now.”

Click here to download the press release (PDF - 113KB)

• The town of Sam Ouandja in the north-east attacked on Saturday 8 November by 40 armed men
• Village Oumba in the south-west of the country attacked by suspected Central African refugees in the DRC and Congo
• Three vehicles carrying WFP food intercepted by the population of Boro in Bossangoa

Background and security

The town of Sam Ouandja attacked

Saturday, 8 November, the town of Sam Ouandja located in the north-east was the subject of an attack by 40 armed men.

At approximately 3am on Saturday 8 November armed men attacked the compound of the Central African Armed Forces (FACA) and the Democratic Union Force (UFDR).

The attackers originated from Am Dafock and their aim was apparently to seize the airfield of the city. The FACA and the UFDR were mobilised to resist the 5.30am the assailants fled in the direction of the Sudanese border.

During the incident two of the attackers were killed and one was captured. Several soldiers on the FACA/UFDR were also injured. However, there are no reports of civilian injuries.

Oumba, a village in the southwestern attacked

According to the police, on the 4 November the village of Oumba, some 60km from Bangui, was attacked by Central African refugees in DRC Congo and Congo. The attackers reportedly seized weapons and communications equipment belonging to the (FACA).

A contingent from the Presidential Guard, supported by local police, travelled to Ouba to investigate the case but further details are as yet unavailable.

One observer has indicated that this attack has been to draw attention to the political agenda of Central African refugees in the DRC and Congo who wish to participate in the Inclusive Political Dialogue currently underway between the government and armed opposition groups.

WFP’s food intercepted at Bossangoa

On 5 November, three heavy goods vehicles loaded with food aid from World Food Program (WFP) travelling to Paoua were stopped by the local population of Boro in the city of Bossangoa. According to information gathered from the local population the attack was motivated by hunger of the villagers.
Of the three vehicles attacked, one was completely looted while the other two were protected by local gendarmes.

Strategic Paper for UN intervention in CAR

The recent mission of the Commission for the Consolidation of Peace who visited CARC from 30 October to 6 November and headed by the Ambassador Jan Grauls, the Permanent Representative of Belgium to the United Nations and Chairman of the Specific Commission for CAR wanted to meet with the local press on the day of his departure. Ambassador Grauls announced the development of a strategic document for the United Nations in CAR.

This document identifies priorities, assesses the efforts of the United Nations in terms of funding and identifies the gaps for more effective engagement in the country.

Ambassador Grauls also explained that the document should also serve as a platform for negotiations and advocacy between the Commission and donors and partners. The document should be used to convince donors to become more involved and/or to increase their commitment to supporting the peace process in CAR.

Reaffirming the readiness of the international community to support the CAR in its reconstruction, Jan Grauls noted that United Nations efforts would not succeed without unconditional support of the national authorities.

Current events

First visit of Joel Madden in CAR

UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, Joel Madden, of the American rock group Good Charlotte, in a recent visit to CAR expressed his concern for the situation facing thousands of children in the country due to unclean water and inadequate health care, “Come here and see these children who die just because they have no access to clean water for drinking, I can not accept that.”

For a week, with support from UNICEF CAR, the Madden, accompanied by his brother also a member of the rock band, traveled across CAR and spent time in villages in the provinces.

The Madden brothers have had the opportunity to talk to many children and families whose lives are threatened by poor water and sanitation, a vector for deadly diseases here in CAR. At Sam Ouandja, border town in Darfur, 47% of children die every year from diseases linked to consumption of dirty water and poor sanitary conditions.

In 2007, UNICEF supported dozens of projects related to water and sanitation, particularly to rehabilitate and build wells in the north, an area particularly affected by the conflict. Thanks to these efforts, all prefectures affected by violence can now benefit from programs for clean water, better sanitation and hygiene facilities. However, much remains to be done.

Although activist for years for the rights of children, the visit was the first in CAR and its first as an ambassador for UNICEF. At the end of his visit, Mr. Madden drew the Central government attention to invest more in the water sector. He also asked the developed countries and the younger generation to become more involved in the search for solutions so that diseases that can be avoided no longer exist.

“Every day children die of diseases that are preventable in CAR, caused by a lack of access to clean water,” he said. “The good news is that we can stop it now,” he concluded.

For more information: aboher@unicef.org

IMC annual report

Since June 2007, the NGO International Medical Corps (IMC) has established programs to primary health care in the Vakaga and the Haute Kotto prefectures.

These programs include preventive and curative consultations, particularly in the fight against malaria, diarrhea, tuberculosis, HIV / AIDS and in supporting community medicine.

Emergency obstetric care, neo-natal, an expanded program on immunization and reproductive health, have also included in IMC’s programs.

The facilities supported by IMC in towns and villages in the two prefectures have been renovated and are regularly re-stocked with medicines and medical equipment. The health centers in Ouadda, Ouadda-Djalle and Sam Ouanda each now have an ambulance and have become the referral centers for emergency medical, surgical and hospital care.

In addition, IMC has also become involved in the nutrition and water and sanitation sectors IMC now supports growth monitoring for children less than 6 months old, the management of severe acute malnutrition (both in therapeutic feeding centers or at home) for children from 6 to 59 months.
In the area of water and sanitation, IMC is promoting health and treating water for human consumption, fight against waste and oral-fecal disease prevention.

The presence and activities of IMC have restored a sense of mobilization and community participation to the population affected by the conflict in the north-east. As a result of IMC’s activities people in the region now have free access to health and nutritional services of quality.

Finally, the total cost of IMC’s projects in CAR from June 2007 to June 2008 amounted US$4.13 million

For more information: gyogo@imcworldwide.org

Nancy Snauwaert | snauwaert@un.org | +236 75 54 22 78
Gisèle Willybiro | willybiro@un.org | +236 75 54 90 31

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News Bulletin 84 - English (PDF) - 91kb

Here is the summary of activities and events in September:

• A $14.8 million grant was given by the African Development Bank to support CAR’s Second Economic Development Programme and to help alleviate the country’s food crisis.
• A breakaway faction of the UFDR attacks and loots a village near the border with Sudan.
• Polio and Tetanus vaccination campaigns target nearly 1.1 million residents.
• The Common Humanitarian Fund allocates $2.8 million for 16 projects to benefit Central African residents.
• The Steering Committee of the Peace Fund allocates $5.7 million for 11 projects.
• UNICEF convenes a training session with NGOs and the government on family reunification and tracing.
• UNICEF completes a State of Knowledge report on the extent of abuses of children’s rights.
• UNICEF rehabilitates schools in anticipation of the new school year.
• 100 wells repaired in Ouham Prefecture.

Click here to download the report (PDF - 640KB)

For more information on UNICEF’s activities in the Central African Republic contact:

Anne Boher | Communications Officer | UNICEF CAR
Email aboher@unicef.org | Tel. +236 75 58 96 01

• Outcome of the second meeting of the Monitoring Committee of the global peace accord in Libreville
• France provides debt relief of € 38 million
• Launch of the Project to strengthen the rule of law on 29 October in Bangui
• United Nations Day commemorated in Ndélé

Background and security

Monitoring Committee meeting in Libreville

The second meeting of the Monitoring Committee of the global peace accord was held in Libreville on 24 October. In its final communiqué, the Committee announced its decision to ask President Bongo of Gabon to appraise the reservations of the Popular Army for the Restoration of Democracy (APRD) concerning the amnesty law, considered unacceptable by the APRD.

The Committee adopted the principle of a three-phased disarmament, demobilization and reintegration process for the rebel fighters. A task force was set up to propose the modalities of the implementation of the process.

France provides debt relief of € 38 million

France relieved CAR of FCFA 25 billion, the equivalent of € 38 million, of debt in order to allow the country to continue to meet its requirements under the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative, and ultimately to benefit from more debt relief, according to the French Ministry of Cooperation.

Since 2006, CAR has adhered to a programme of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank in order to enter the HIPC initiative, successfully reaching the decision point in late 2007. A three year plan based on this programme allowed the country to obtain the re-engagement, in June 2006, of both the World Bank and the African Development Bank.

Once complete, the HIPC initiative will allow the country to benefit from debt relief worth more than FCFA 300 billion, and the cancellation of multilateral debt of about FCFA 50 billion. Completion point may be reached as soon as 2009.

Mission of the Peace-building Commission

The Peace-building Commission is conducting a mission to CAR from 30 October until 6 November. The delegation is led by Ambassador Jan Grauls, the Permanent Representative of Belgium with the United Nations and Chair of the country-specific configuration of the Commission for CAR.

The objective of the mission is to follow up on the previous mission of July to obtain further information on the priorities, in terms of planned activities, to support the recovery of the country.
The delegation, consisting of 10 members, will work in close collaboration with the Ministry of Planning, Economy and International Cooperation, and will have working sessions with other key ministries.

For more information: tourea@un.org

Current events

Food aid for the people in the north-west

On 28 October, the French NGO Première Urgence signed a grant agreement with the French Embassy for the amount of 91 million FCFA. The funds will help Première Urgence to provide food assistance to 1,650 families, or 8,250 people, while they are working on road repairs, rehabilitation of lowlands for market gardening, and the construction of areas for the drying of produce along the Ngaoundaye-Paoua road.

In the beginning of 2008, Première Urgence had already benefitted from a grant from France, through its Food Aid Programme, to improve access to food for vulnerable people in the north-west as a contribution to the revival of the economic sector in the area. With the grant the NGO had purchased more than 170 tons of food from local economic operators, which was channeled to 6,300 households, or 31,500 people.

For more information: pu.cdm.rca@gmail.com

Strengthening the rule of law

The Project to strengthen the rule of law (PRED) was officially launched on 29 October in Bangui. The project aims to support the justice and security institutions, particularly the judicial and prison systems and the national police. PRED, which is supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), should create the necessary conditions for economic and human development through the restoration of security and peace.

Given the needs for humanitarian assistance and protection for the civilian population, especially in the interior of the country, it was decided to adopt the approach of early recovery based on the principles of community participation and local ownership.

Many activities will be conducted in the interior of the country, especially in conflict areas where UNDP recorded achievements in the context of the project in support of judicial security for development, the judicial system and human rights (PRASEJ) in the towns of Bozoum, Bossangoa, Sibut and Kaga Bandoro.

The main project beneficiaries are the justice and security institutions, especially the Ministry of Justice, the magistracy, the Ministry of Interior, civil society working in the field of human rights and access to justice, communities and vulnerable populations, particularly women victims of sexual violence and displaced populations.

For more information: mireille.widmer@undp.org

Coordination

UN Day commemorated in Ndélé

This year, the commemoration of World Food Day in CAR was postponed until 25 October. The ceremony was held in Ndélé, in the north-east. The deferral was an opportunity to also celebrate the United Nations Day in Ndélé on 24 October. It was the first time that the ceremony was held outside the capital.

Dr. Zakaria Maïga, the World Health Organization (WHO) Representative and acting Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, chaired the ceremony which helped to inform people about the role of the United Nations in the country. The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), WHO, the World Food Programme (WFP), UNDP, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) attracted hundreds of people by organizing exhibition stands and competitive games.

“The celebration of 24 October is an important day not only for us … but also for you, because this organization is also yours. In the Central African Republic, the day of 24 October has become a traditional encounter between Central Africans and the United Nations system. This year’s celebration of United Nations Day has a special character because … we opened a sub-office in Ndélé just a few months ago so that we could be closer to the people for whom we work,” said Dr Maïga during his speech. By choosing the theme “Together for Peace and Progress in the Central African Republic” this year, the acting Coordinator confirmed that the United Nations in CAR will work in synergy and partnership with the authorities, the private sector and civil society, both to improve efficiency and to increase the impact of their actions.

Nancy Snauwaert | snauwaert@un.org | +236 75 54 22 78
Gisèle Willybiro | willybiro@un.org | +236 75 54 90 31

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News Bulletin 83 - English (PDF) - 145kb

• Second meeting of the global peace accord Monitoring Committee in Libreville
• Report on human rights by BONUCA
• $1.2 million allocated by UNESCO for education
• Mission to improve United Nations’ coordination in Bangui from 25 to 30 October

Background and security

Second meeting of the Monitoring Committee

The Monitoring Committee of the global peace accord started its second meeting in Libreville on 24 October. The Central African governmental delegation is lead by its Communications and Dialogue Minister, Cyriaque Gonda. Jean-Jacques Démafouth leads the delegation of the Popular Army for the Restoration of Democracy (APRD). Djanib Grebaye represents the Union of Democratic Forces for Unity (UFDR), while the political opposition is represented by Henri Pouzère of the Union des forces vives de la nation (UFVN).

Rebels and political opposition alike demanded the revision of the general amnesty law promulgated by President Bozizé on 14 October. According to the rebel and opposition leaders, this amnesty law does not facilitate the start of the peace dialogue. They demand more protection for rebel leaders and the fighters of the different armed groups.

Diamond buyers under fire

The Central African government withdrew the permits for exporting mining products of eight of the ten companies officially licensed to buy gold and diamonds. The new measure, coming into force for an unknown duration, is one of the actions aiming at combating fraud in the mining sector, according to the Minister of Mines, Sylvain Ndoutingai.

Current events

Report on human rights

The Office of the United Nations in the Central African Republic (BONUCA) published an analytic report on the evolution of the human rights situation in the country. The report describes violations of the right to life, physical integrity, liberty and fair justice. The human rights violations documented in the report are for the most part attributed to government defense and security forces. According to BONUCA, cruel, degrading and inhuman treatment takes mainly place in prisons. In conflict-struck areas, soldiers are accused of summary executions during military operations.

In a public reaction to the report, President Bozizé declared that the reported facts are old and exaggerated.

$1.2 million for education

The United Nations Organization for Education, Science and Culture (UNESCO) on 15 October signed an operational plan worth $1.2 million with the Ministry of Education to support the implementation of its sector strategy. The project will help build the capacity of the Ministry, particularly of the Secretariat charged with the coordination of the implementation of the education strategy and the Directorate of School buildings so that they can supervise the rehabilitation and construction programme included in the strategy. The new Resources Directorate, also part of the operational plan, will be charged with the career management of new contract teachers.

The project, financed by the Italian government, will further strengthen the literacy and non-formal education mechanisms of the Ministry and will re-launch school radio and television.
On the same day, UNESCO donated computer, photocopying and audio-visual equipment worth $30,000 to the High Council for Communication. The apparatus should help the Council in its regulatory functions. As part of this collaboration, two workshops are scheduled to explain the role of the Council and familiarize media professionals and the civil society with the institution.

Benoit Sossou, the UNESCO representative based in Yaoundé, Cameroun, who had come to Bangui for the occasion, also handed over equipment to a community radio, Espace Linga Tere.

For more information: h.cron@unesco.org

Télécoms Sans Frontières in CAR

Télécoms Sans Frontières (TSF) sent a team to CAR to support the work of the International Rescue Committee (IRC), an American NGO. TSF will install high frequency radio links to connect IRC’s offices in Bangui to those in Bocaranga and Kaga Bandoro, situated respectively 500 and 350 kilometers from the capital to facilitate coordination of the NGO’s operations. TSF will also equip its vehicles with radio systems to ensure staff security and enable communication from the remotest areas of the country.

IRC helps people affected by the conflict, particularly the most poor and the displaced who are returning to their villages of origin, by providing support in the health, environmental health, protection and education sectors.

For more information: boris.varnitzky@theirc.org

Second evaluation of ERF projects

A second evaluation of projects funded by the Emergency Response Fund (ERF) took place in the beginning of October. An evaluation team visited six projects in Paoua and Markounda in the north-west of the country.

Using ERF funds, Cooperazione Internationale (COOPI) distributed 5,000 agricultural kits and food of the World Food Programme (WFP) to as many households. Première Urgence distributed agricultural kits to 12,393 households and food rations to 14,000 families.

Action Contre la Faim managed to distribute 2,811 agricultural kits, seeds and food to 13,549 people in Markounda. The Central African Association for Family Well-being conducted 2.083 medical consultations and 179 HIV tests.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) installed an internet connection service, open to all humanitarians, at the United Nations base in Paoua, and WFP set up telecommunications equipment which allows following the movements of field missions in real time so as to ensure their security.
The evaluation team found that all projects have largely or entirely met their objectives and that they contributed to improving the living standards of the people affected by the crisis and by violence.

For more information: yangou@un.org

Coordination

UN team works on improving coordination

A 15-member United Nations inter-agency mission arrived on 25 October in Bangui to study how to improve the coordination and coherence of the world body’s work in the country.

BONUCA announced that the assessment team will meet with Government officials, the UN country team, civil society representatives and members of the diplomatic community during its week-long visit.

The inter-agency assessment team will draft recommendations for the Security Council on how to integrate United Nations activities in CAR.

New NGO staff

Jorge Jimeno joined Mentor Initiative, an english NGO, as Program Director. He is based in Paoua.
Contacts: jorge@mentor-initiative.net| 75 52 08 46
Th. 88 21 65 10 72 502

Nancy Snauwaert | snauwaert@un.org | +236 75 54 22 78
Gisèle Willybiro | willybiro@un.org | +236 75 54 90 31

Download

News Bulletin 82 - English (PDF) - 124kb

• Amnesty law, promulgated by President Bozizé on 14 October, rejected by APRD
• Close to $15 million allocated by the African Development Bank for economic reform
• Court houses rehabilitated in four towns
• The Ndélé-Azène road is open for traffic again

Background and security

Amnesty law rejected by the APRD

The amnesty law, one of the conditions for the inclusive political dialogue which is to bring together the Central African government, militant groups, opposition, and civil society, was promulgated by President François Bozizé on 14 October.

Jean-Jacques Démafouth of the Popular Army for the Restoration of Democracy (APRD) reiterated that this amnesty law was “inacceptable”. In particular, he disagrees with the clause stating that rebel fighters must be regrouped and stationed in a military camp within two months. If the cantonment does not take place within the two months proscribed by the law, rebels will lose the benefit of the amnesty.

Immigration Chief killed

Hervé Trépassé, the Director-General of Immigration at the Ministry of Interior, was killed on 15 October in Bangui in an apparent settling of scores.

Current events

Close to $15 million for economic reform

The Central African Republic will receive a grant of $14.8 million in support of the country’s economic reform programme approved by the Board of Directors of the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group.
The balance of payments support programme comprises a $10.1 million grant from the African Development Fund and a $4.7 million AfDB surplus account grant, approved by the Board on 15 October in Tunis. The money will finance the country’s second Economic Reform Support Programme 2008-2009 and contribute to the Bank’s response to the food crisis in CAR.

The Economic Reform Support Programme has two components: (i) Improving public finance management; and (ii) consolidating public sector economic governance. The resources from the AfDB surplus account will be used to purchase agricultural inputs such as fertilizers, improved seeds and agricultural tools to boost food crops production in CAR.

Court houses rehabilitated in four towns

Handover of office equipment to the Bossangoan court
UNDP / HDPT CAR

The project in support of judicial security for development, the judicial system and human rights (PRASEJ), aims at establishing community-based justice mechanisms in target zones in the interior of the country.

In February of this year, the project delivered eight vehicles to the law courts of Bozoum, Bossangoa, Sibut and Kaga-Bandoro. PRASEJ further finished the rehabilitation of the court houses in these four towns in September, which were handed over to the Ministry of Justice. The lawyers and their assistants, who are to raise awareness among the population on access to the judicial council, were presented to the local authorities.

In addition, four directors and 12 prison wardens, all women, received basic training at the National School of Administration prior to their deployment. In Bossangoa, a building was allocated to serve as a women’s prison but it still needs to be rehabilitated.

PRASEJ, now in its second phase of implementation, is the result of a collaboration between the Central African government, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and France, which is funding most of the activities.

For more information: christian.ndotah@undp.org

Azène-Ndélé road open for traffic again

The Aid Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development (ACTED), a French NGO, constructed or rehabilitated 12 bridges and three ducts on the national road number 8 between Azène and Ndélé, in coordination with the Ministry of Equipment and Regional Development and in support of road rehabilitation works carried out by the National Office for Equipment. The joint work renders this road, which is essential to reach the people of the Nana-Gribizi and Bamingui-Bangoran provinces in the north-east of the country, open for traffic again.

The road works were carried out by 386 skilled and unskilled day laborers, who were recruited among the most vulnerable people in the villages close to the building sites. They were paid in cash and received a mid-day meal at work provided by the World Food Programme (WFP). The meals ensured that the teams remained motivated while they also contributed to their nutritional balance and allowed families to make some savings.

Since 27 September, date on which all bridges and ducts were finished, the streams between Azène and Ndélé can be crossed throughout the year and the time it takes to drive the distance is reduced by one third. The project was funded by the Emergency Response Fund (ERF), which has since been replaced by the Common Humanitarian Fund (CHF).

The project is part of a larger road rehabilitation scheme implemented by ACTED in Nana-Gribizi around Kaga-Bandoro and between Kaga-Bandoro and Mbrès.

For more information: yannick.deville@acted.org

Crossing the river in Yambala before…
 

…and after the rehabilitation of the Yambala bridge
ACTED / HDPT CAR

Coordination

Early recovery network in action

Since July, the network on early recovery, one of the sectors in the humanitarian coordination set-up in CAR, is supported by a full-time coordinator made available by UNDP. The recovery network has since multiplied its activities with the development of a work plan and guiding principles, which are to serve as resource mobilisation instruments.

In addition, the network functions as sub-committee for the technical appraisal of recovery project proposals submitted for funding by the Peace-building Fund. Twenty projects were reviewed. Another 12 projects were revised and selected for inclusion in the 2009 Coordinated Aid Programme and three projects were prioritized for funding by the CHF.

The network also collaborates with the implementation unit of the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper and supports UNDP in conducting a situation analysis of the early recovery actions of partners in conflict zones.

For more information: ibrahima.sakho@undp.org

Nancy Snauwaert | snauwaert@un.org | +236 75 54 22 78
Gisèle Willybiro | willybiro@un.org | +236 75 54 90 31

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Pierre Holtz for UNICEF / HDPT CAR

Acknowledging that emergency aid can have unintended and potentially disastrous consequences should not, and has not, led humanitarian organisations to pack up their vaccination kits and go home. On the contrary: while the idea of Do No Harm is as relevant today as ever, there is no reason why it could not have a positive twin. This twin idea – ‘Do More Good’ – suggests that impartial and effective humanitarian action can have a positive impact beyond its primary aim of saving lives and relieving suffering, i.e. to create some breathing-space for conflict-torn communities and lay the foundations for stability and development. Just such a window of opportunity may exist today in the Central African Republic. Although this window may close fast, it does appear that positive change could be possible. Aid organisations are playing a central role in helping to bring it about.

The context: violence and poverty intertwined

The modern history of the Central African Republic reads like that of many other African states. The rule of a despotic and self-appointed emperor in the 1960s and 1970s was followed by a series of presidents and coups, none of which managed to bring about much tangible progress for the country’s destitute population. The past decade has been particularly turbulent, marked by recurring internal conflicts and a steady decline in the standard of living for the average Central African. For the past two years, parts of the country’s north have been caught in a rebellion against the government of President Francois Bozize. Fighting has displaced hundreds of thousands of people from their homes, and has prevented the state from providing any kind of services.

Adding to its internal woes, CAR finds itself in a rough neighbourhood. With long and porous borders with Chad and the Darfur region of Sudan, Central Africans are caught up in complex regional refugee and returnee problems. The country’s vast northern provinces provide a perfect hide-out for rebels, poachers and anyone else seeking some time away from the public eye. The virtually bankrupt and undermanned Central African state is incapable of controlling its territory, breeding lawlessness and rebellion.

The weakness of the Central African state goes beyond its inability to ensure the security of its territory. Landlocked and with extremely limited trade with the outside world, the country has never been able to develop its potential, and today lies 171st on the UNDP’s list of the 177 least developed countries in the world. Successive governments have been unable to manage finances to allow civil servants regularly to receive their salaries. The past years of violence, fuelled by crippling destitution and a sense of being abandoned by the state, have caused a humanitarian crisis across northern CAR. With emergency and poverty needs so closely intertwined, help is required at every level, whether distributing blankets and kitchen utensils to the displaced or helping the government to repair roads and bridges.

The stakes: a window of opportunity for change

The stakes in CAR are high, notably in terms of human suffering. The scope of the crisis is staggering. Some 300,000 people have been forced from their homes, and tens of thousands are living in the bush, too frightened even to return to their villages to collect clean water. Per 100,000 live births, 1,355 mothers die during or immediately after the delivery, compared to 550 in neighbouring Sudan. Twenty per cent of CAR’s children never reach their fifth birthday, and those who survive have little chance of ever seeing the inside of a classroom or a functioning health centre. Economic opportunities are scarce; even when people have access to a livelihood, insecurity and impassable roads reduce trade to a trickle. As the security situation ebbs and flows, aid organisations are gaining access to populations previously out of reach. The level of needs they are discovering is startling.

Pierre Holtz for UNICEF / HDPT CAR

Despite this dire situation, there are some positive signs, suggesting that stability and recovery could be within reach. The foremost of these developments is an inclusive political dialogue in Bangui, at the initiative of President Bozize and supported by the UN Peacebuilding Office in Bangui (BONUCA). It is hoped that the dialogue will help settle some of the discontent that has been plaguing the country’s political scene since Bozize’s ascendancy to power five years ago. Indeed, after months of discussions with militant groups and the political opposition, it looks like the President will be able to get all major political actors, including the armed opposition, around the negotiating table and that there will be a comprehensive peace agreement to end the persistent conflict with the militant group APRD in the northwest and consolidate the agreements with militant groups in the north and northeast.

In a second bid to promote stability – and reassure donors concerned about its human rights record – the CAR government has embarked on an ambitious programme to reform its security sector. The aim is to ensure that the country’s security forces are adequately trained and equipped to protect CAR’s population and territory, while respecting the law and human rights. The reforms also include strengthening political institutions to make sure that the security forces are under democratic control. This process will cost millions of dollars and take years to implement fully. However, quick support from donors, and a commitment from the government, could allow the state to project, with international supervision, a benign presence across its territory, restoring some much-needed trust between the population and the state.

There have been signs that at least some of the donor support needed in CAR could be forthcoming. In 2007, CAR was finally able to finish a national poverty reduction strategy, as set out in its Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP), which it presented to donors at a Round Table in October 2007. At the conference, donors pledged $600 million for CAR’s development and reconstruction. Across the country, this has raised expectations that the tide is turning. Were pledges not to materialise, there is a risk that the government’s ambitions become yet another source of frustration for the population, already tired of promises of development dividends that never arrive.

CAR is at a crossroads. On the one hand, violence and displacement continue in the north. On the other, there is a real chance of political stability and concrete progress towards recovery and development. With the PRSP, CAR’s government has shown that it has a plan to pull its country out of its current state, and that it is aware of its responsibility to improve the lot of its citizens. But even with the best intentions, the government will need time and money to build up its capacity to provide basic services across the country. Aid organisations are helping to build that capacity, while covering – in the short term – the provision of key services in areas where the state is not yet present, thereby bringing home the immediate benefits of stability to the worst-affected populations.

The approach: working together to Do More Good in CAR

Making sure that relief efforts help the CAR to move in the direction of stability and development is no mean feat. It requires working closely with a broad range of partners, including the government, and aligning emergency priorities with recovery and development strategies. Humanitarian and development organisations in CAR are joining forces to meet immediate needs and, at the same time, strengthening the foundations for longer-term development.

This approach has meant bridging the often artificial divide between what is humanitarian and what is developmental. For example, the humanitarian ‘clusters’ have been merged with existing development sector groups, in which aid agencies engage with each other in an open and substantive discussion on humanitarian and development needs and priorities. In line with the Paris Declaration on aid effectiveness, the clusters are aligned with the government’s coordination mechanism established for the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper. To make sure that aid agencies are working coherently, the CAR’s Humanitarian and Development Partnership Team (HDPT) meets weekly to discuss security, politics and emergency and development operations. So far, these efforts seem to have been successful. Indeed, in the 2008 CAP for CAR the HDPT (including NGOs, UN agencies and key government ministries) decided that one of three strategic priorities for the humanitarian response in 2008 would be to ensure coherence and complementarity between humanitarian assistance, early recovery and development programmes.

Pierre Holtz for UNICEF / HDPT CAR

In addition, the HDPT has worked hard to get donors and more aid organisations engaged. Here too, efforts have paid off. In the past 18 months, the number of aid agencies engaged in humanitarian action and recovery has risen from five to 22. Together, these organisations received more humanitarian funding in 2007 than in 2004, 2005 and 2006 combined: $69m, which – though it might seem small compared to aid giants such as DRC and Sudan – is comparable to the bigger settings when measured per capita. As for the use of funds, one way of making sure that they are put to the best possible use has been to empower sector groups to set clear priorities that are then communicated to donors. As such, all the projects included in the CAP have been prioritised by the HDPT and ranked as ‘medium’, ‘high’ or ‘immediate’ priority, based on six clear criteria. Another mechanism which is serving to improve coordination and the quality and coverage of humanitarian action is the Emergency Response Fund, which was set up in early 2007 to fund start-up costs and responses to breaking emergencies; to date, this has funded 66 projects, with nearly $10m spent and $12m raised.

While a transparent and inclusive approach is all very well, the raison d’être of the aid community is of course its ability to bring about positive change on the ground, first and foremost by alleviating suffering. Fortunately, in CAR, it looks like results are being achieved. In 2007, over 90% of CAR’s IDPs received clothes, kitchen utensils, plastic sheeting and other non-food items. NGOs and UN agencies are giving some 2m people access to health care in hospitals, health centres and mobile clinics across the country. In the education sector, NGOs and UN agencies have teamed up to take some 97,000 children in the conflict-torn north back to school, and hundreds of wells, pumps and boreholes have been constructed or rehabilitated. In addition, increased HDPT field presence (HDPT members’ offices outside the capital, Bangui, increased five-fold in 12 months, from seven to 35), coupled with intense advocacy efforts towards the government and armed opposition groups, have contributed to a marked decrease in some of the conflict’s worst human rights abuses, such as the torching of villages. As a result, aid agencies are saving more lives and alleviating or preventing more suffering than anyone could have predicted when humanitarian donors and organisations engaged seriously in 2006.

Beyond alleviating immediate suffering, these activities could be making a more lasting difference. In fact, by giving people access to livelihoods and opening previously cut-off trade routes, relief and recovery in CAR is helping the population put an end to its isolation and relaunch the defunct economy. By working in close coordination with the government to keep children in school and by rehabilitating health centres and hospitals, aid agencies are strengthening the state’s capacity to provide basic services, and are ‘filling the gap’ to provide those services until the government can do so. By being present in conflict zones, international organisations can protect civilians and help prevent abuses. Although such contributions alone will not bring CAR out of its crisis, they help to create the breathing-space needed to put peace and stability back on the agenda. Indeed, by helping people to meet their most immediate needs, humanitarians are creating a chance for tension to dissipate, people to come together and stability and development to take root.

In short, humanitarian action in the Central African Republic is having a positive impact well beyond the immediate alleviation of suffering and the saving of lives. Far from Doing No Harm, this seems to be a case of humanitarians Doing More Good by coming together with development professionals and planning beyond the short term. The timing could not be better. For Central Africans 2008 is crucial. If humanitarian and development professionals can help tip the situation in the direction of peace, they will have made a difference which will serve the country not only in the months, but in the years and decades to come.

This article appeared in the Humanitarian Exchange Magazine, published by ODI’s Humanitarian Practice Network.

Toby Lanzer is Deputy Resident Coordinator/Humanitarian Coordinator for northern Sudan. Formerly he was Resident Coordinator/Humanitarian Coordinator, Central African Republic.

The United Nations humanitarian wing today appealed for donors to provide another $26 million to support its aid activities in the impoverished Central African Republic (CAR), where more than 200,000 people remain displaced from their homes by persistent conflict and banditry over the past two years.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that the aid programme launched by the UN and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the CAR this year needs $116 million in funding, but has received only $90 million so far.

UN agencies have vastly expanded the number of programmes they provide in the CAR to help the growing numbers of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees now living in neighbouring countries such as Cameroon, Chad and Sudan.

Humanitarian agencies have also strengthened their presence outside the capital, Bangui, by increasing their number of offices from seven just two years ago to 46 this month.

OCHA said the money provided by donors this year has already made “a tremendous difference” to the estimated 1 million people affected by conflict and banditry across the CAR, especially in the north.

“There is a real window of opportunity now to help the Central Africans break the circle of poverty and conflict,” OCHA said. “But the international community needs to show a real and sustained interest in the country.”

Health care, food access to clean water, housing and basic social services are among the priorities for relief workers in the CAR, one of the poorest countries in the world.

About 108,000 IDPs are currently still too scared to return home, with the majority living in the bush outside towns and villages, where they do not have access to food, water and basic social services, after their own villages were attacked by armed groups or bandits.

Some 85,000 have returned to their home villages in the past year and a half, but found many of them to have been largely destroyed as a result of the conflict.