Humanitarian Bulletin

Highlights

• In 2025, the humanitarian community in CAR plans to assist 1.8 million most vulnerable people. US$ 326.1 million is required.
• Humanitarian actors provided life-saving assistance to 1.7 million people in 2024.
• In one month, over 8,000 people were displaced while fleeing violence in the northwest.

Read the full update.

As of 31 March 2025, the Central African Republic had an estimated 442,723 internally displaced person (IDPs). Among them 17 per cent (76,220) lived in sites while 83 per cent (366,503) lived in host families. This represents an increase of 0,4 per cent in terms of displacements compared to the month of February 2025. This increase is mainly due to natural disasters (notably floods), intercommunal conflicts, and attacks on villages by armed groups.

Furthermore, a lull in the security situation and the lack of assistance led to the return of IDPs in their areas of origin. Returns were mostly recorded in the prefectures of Bangui, Nana-Mambéré, Haute-Kotto, and Haut-Mbomou.

In May 2025, 14 incidents affecting humanitarian actors were reported in the Central African Republic, which represents a significant increase of 75 per cent compared to the previous month when eight incidents were recorded. The increase of incidents is linked to intensified violence in the south-eats: four incidents (28 per cent of the incidents in May) were reported in Haut-Mbomou and Mbomou prefectures. Among the 14 incidents, 11 robberies and/or cases of theft were reported, two cases of interference and restrictions, and one case of aggression and threats were reported. Since the beginning of the year, the most affected prefectures have been Vakaga (nine incidents), Bamingui-Bangoran (six) and Bangui (five).

In the first quarter of 2025, the humanitarian response in the Central African Republic (CAR) was significantly hindered by a substantial funding shortfall, with less than a third of the needs covered by the end of the reporting period. Of the 1.8 million people targeted, only 21 per cent received assistance, representing approximately 365,000 beneficiaries, including 203,000 women and 161,000 men. This figure represents 50 per cent decrease compared to the first quarter of 2024, when 768,000 people were reached. The situation has deteriorated with funding levels falling to 16 per cent, compared to 27 per cent in the same period in 2024. At the same time, the number of operational partners fell from 141 to 96. This reduction led to a sharp decline in interventions and the number of beneficiaries. Several prefectures that had previously been well served saw a drastic reduction in humanitarian aid, while areas that were already poorly covered saw no improvement. For more information, click here.

Between 1 January and 31 December 2024, more than a million people benefited from emergency Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA), in 45 sub-prefectures, for a total amount of 60 million US dollars (US$). 66 percent of people targeted were reached through CVA interventions in the sub-prefectures covered by this type of assistance. Over the period under review, the largest volume of cash transfers was carried out by the Food Security and Shelter/NFI clusters. Compared to the previous year, the Shelter/NFI and Nutrition clusters have integrated cash transfers into their intervention modalities in 2024. In contrast, the Education, Health and WASH clusters have not taken it into account during the last two years. The number of operational actors in cash transfer has considerably evolved, going from 25 actors in 2023 to 31 actors in 2024. This trend is justified by operational flexibility and the low cost of monetary transfers’ implemen[1]tation. It also demonstrates the flexibility of humanitarian actors against the preferences expressed by affected people (40 per cent of households preferred cash transfers in 2023, compared to 71 per cent in 2024).

Insecurity in certain parts of the country and natural disasters, along with massive population displacements, remain the main factors of the humanitarian crisis in the Central African Republic (CAR). This, combined with insecurity in southern neighboring Chad and the war in Sudan have triggered largest population movements towards CAR. In 2024, 2.8 million people are extremely vulnerable in CAR that humanitarian assistance alone is not sufficient to restore their well-being. Among them,1.9 million are targeted by the current Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP). 

The CAR Humanitarian Fund (CAR HF) received a total of US$13 million this year, representing 14% per cent of the funding received under the 2024 Humanitarian Response Plan. Through a reserve allocation of $3.5 million, the CAR HF allocated $3 million in February for the response against gender-based violence, targeting more than 74,000 people and thus representing 25 per cent of the sector’s financial target for 2024. This allocation also allowed for an emergency international resupply of inputs to take care of nearly 4,000 children suffering from moderate acute malnutrition. These responses are currently being implemented through seven projects carried out by seven partners. Among them, three National non-governmental organizations (NNGO) directly received more than 27 per cent of the funds. 

Between January and May, the OCHA CAR Humanitarian Financing Unit: 1) organized two in-person meetings with the CAR HF Advisory Committee, including one during the visit of the OCHA Donor Support Group (ODSG) in April, 2) trained 142 participants from NNGOs, 9% of whom work in Women-Led Organizations (WLOs) on different topics p, 3) conducted capacity assessments of 32 NGOs, including 25 NNGOs. A total of 14 were deemed eligible for future CAR HF funding, including 5 WLOs