Central African Republic

Working environment

Despite the significant progress made in stabilization efforts, the security situation in the Central African Republic remained volatile in 2016. The outbreaks of violence became more widespread and larger in scale as the year wore on, leading to new displacement.

During the second half of 2016, the context was marked by ongoing reprisals between armed groups in the eastern and central parts of the country. This led to an increase in the number of displaced people and hampered humanitarian access.  In contrast, the situation in the capital Bangui and other parts of the country continued to stabilize resulting in the closure of several IDP sites in Bangui and return of thousands of IDPs to their areas of origin.  

Population trends

• By the end of 2016, some 430,000 people were internally displaced and 460,000 Central African refugees remained in Cameroon, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of Congo.
• Throughout 2016, some 34,000 Central African refugees spontaneously returned from Cameroon, Chad and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Bangui, and the Western provinces of the Central African Republic.
• The Central African Republic continued to host 12,115 refugees mainly from the DRC, South Sudan and Sudan.

Achievements and impact

• Returnees: UNHCR conducted awareness-raising sessions on housing, land and property rights and supported the rehabilitation of shelter.  Social cohesion interventions were undertaken in areas of return, community based protection mechanisms were put in place, including prevention of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). UNHCR continued to support the Ministry of Social Affairs to establish PARET (Projet d’appui au Retour et Reintegration), a return and reintegration project.
• IDPs: UNHCR supported the return of 235,000 IDPs to their areas of origin, resulting in the closure of several sites in Bangui. UNHCR continued to lead the protection, camp coordination and camp management (CCCM), shelter/ NFIs clusters. UNHCR also provided emergency support to newly displaced people in the eastern and central part of the country.
• Refugees: UNHCR started the biometric registration of refugees in Pladama Ouaka (Ouaka) and Zemio (Haut-Mbomou) camps. UNHCR advocated with the Government of CAR on local integration opportunities and naturalisation of refugees in the country. 

Unmet needs

• Lack of resources resulted in a gap in the shelter provision for IDPs, only 40% of IDP households lived in adequate dwellings.
• Lack of resources and in some areas access problems, led to limited reintegration assistance in areas of return.
• Security situation and limitations on unhindered humanitarian access, especially in Western part of the country (Bambari) impacted on the capacity of UNHCR and partners to deliver assistance to newly displaced people.

 

While the humanitarian crisis in the Central African Republic (CAR) has stabilized in many parts of the country thanks to the deployment of international peacekeepers and the re-establishment of national authorities in remote areas, the challenges in terms of security, justice and protection of civilians remain considerable. The recent upsurge in violence in the capital in September 2015 attests to the fragility of the situation.
 
While the number of internally displaced people (IDPs) in the CAR has decreased – to about 370,000 in August 2015 - the number of IDP sites across the country varies due to recurring insecurity and new displacement. Humanitarian access outside Bangui remains limited. In some areas, access is hampered by armed groups attempting to impose conditions or control over humanitarian assistance. National capacity is weak, and basic services continue to be provided mainly by the international community, national NGOs and the Red Cross and Red Crescent movement, in and close to urban areas, while remote areas remain inaccessible.
 
The crisis in the CAR has not only caused the internal and external displacement of a large portion of its population, but has also affected the 7,800 urban and rural refugees who remain in the country. Socio-economic activities allowing refugees to be self-sufficient have been interrupted. The social cohesion between Sudanese refugees and the host community in Bambari was affected by inter-communal violence, exposing the camp to acts of retaliation. UNHCR’s priorities in 2016 include providing access to asylum procedures, basic assistance and protection services, as well as achieving durable solutions through local integration.
 
UNHCR and partners play an important role in monitoring the protection of displaced people, communities at risk, returning refugees and IDPs. In 2016, the priorities will remain: the reduction of protection risks through the implementation of protection monitoring activities in the most affected areas; capacity building of community-based structures; social cohesion interventions; SGBV prevention and response; monitoring of the protection situation of minorities trapped in remote areas; voluntary relocation when requested; the promotion of the implementation of a national legislative framework for the protection of IDPs; support for the adoption of a national strategy on population movements through the domestication of the Kampala Convention; work with the Government on solutions for communities at risk; and the coordination of the Protection, Shelter/NFI and CCCM clusters.
 
UNHCR, through its protection and border-monitoring interventions, will also continue to track return movements of refugees and IDPs. Border-monitoring activities have shown timid return trends in 2014 and early 2015. In the second half of 2015, UNHCR partnered with the Commission Nationale pour les Réfugiés in order to complement border-monitoring activities with the identification, registration and mapping of spontaneous returns in main return areas. In addition to the profiling of returns, UNHCR and its partners are conducting social cohesion activities and protection monitoring, as well as providing support for the restitution of housing, land and property in the main areas of return.
 
In 2016, major investments will be required to promote social cohesion, access to justice and housing, land and property rights for returning IDPs and refugees as a basis for sustainable return.