BANGUI, 30 November 2015 (UN News Service): Nearly three years after a “devastating” conflict began in the Central African Republic (CAR), an estimated 1.2 million children are now in urgent need of humanitarian assistance, said the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).
“The violence that has plagued this country has had a devastating impact on the lives of children,” said UNICEF's Representative in the Central African Republic, Mohamed Fall, adding that to meet the overwhelming humanitarian needs, access and greater international support are essential.
According to UNICEF estimates, more than two million children have been affected by the violence which first broke out in December 2012.
The violence reached crisis levels in December 2013 following religion-based clashes that led to the displacement of hundreds of thousands in the capital, Bangui.
About 400,000 people remain displaced within the country, and renewed clashes in September created an additional 39,000 displaced people in Bangui and a further half a million people are living as refugees in neighbouring countries, UNICEF said.
Manglende sikkerhed og donormidler
The agency said that insecurity and underfunding continue to put urgent lifesaving activities at risk, while attacks on humanitarian conveys threaten the deployment of relief supplies to the interior of the country.
Pope Francis visitted the plagued country on Sunday, for a two-day visit aimed at promoting reconciliation.
UNICEF said that a song for peace, written and sung by children, that calls for national unity and an end to the fighting has been playing on radio stations ahead of the Pope's arrival.
The agency said that even in areas that are not affected by the conflict, communities continue to need support, with nearly one third of the population having no access to safe drinking water and 41 percent of children under five are chronically malnourished.
Kun godt halvdelen kommet ind i hjælp
Of the required 70.9 million US dollar (ca. 430 mio. DKR) in funds to provide urgent lifesaving interventions for the most vulnerable in 2015, UNICEF has received only 37 million dollar, just over 50 percent of the required amount, despite the scale of the emergency.
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