The United Nations and its humanitarian partners, along with the Central African Republic government, launched the 2026 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) this week, calling for US$264 million — the lowest requested amount in recent years — to help 1.3 million of the most vulnerable people in the country. Although humanitarian needs remain staggeringly high, aid organizations are forced to focus on the most urgent, life-saving priorities due to a global collapse in funding.
Despite security improvements in some parts of the country, conflict, epidemics, and climate disasters continue to disrupt the lives of people in CAR, leaving 2.3 million people—one-third of the population—in need of humanitarian aid. More than 40,000 Sudanese refugees have crossed the border into the country, and more than 21,000 people have returned in recent months.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warns that more than 1.2 million people could be left without critical assistance if funding is not received this year. This would mean malnourished children would go untreated, families would go without food or shelter, and communities would lose access to healthcare.
"We face impossible choices. Reducing aid in areas where needs are most acute is a decision no one should have to make," said Mohamed Ag Ayoya, Humanitarian Coordinator for CAR, on Thursday.
“With adequate funding, we can save more lives, further stabilize communities, and support essential recovery efforts to reduce recurring crises.”
In 2025, humanitarian agencies aimed to assist 1.8 million of the most vulnerable Central Africans, for which they required $326 million. However, they only received $122 million, just over one third of the required funding, enabling them to provide life-saving assistance to 887,000 people, 50 percent of their target.
Consequently, many communities were left without the critical support they needed. The decline in funding in 2025 also severely affected the operational presence of aid agencies, resulting in the closure of 116 humanitarian bases, including those in areas with the highest levels of vulnerability.
"Every day without funding puts more lives at risk. In a country where physical access remains extremely limited, late contribution may mean assistance that will never arrive,” the Humanitarian Coordinator emphasized.
"We call on the international community to renew its commitment to the Central African people. International solidarity, now more than ever, cannot wait," Ag Ayoya added.
Conflict, insecurity, and displacement continue to drive the humanitarian crisis
The Central African Republic has been one of the world's most neglected humanitarian crises for several consecutive years. Ravaged by violence since 2012, the country remains in dire need of support. Over the past decade, the CAR has been affected by armed conflict and the continued presence of militant groups.
Civilians continue to experience violence, including attacks on healthcare facilities, gender-based violence, and other violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, as well as the impact of natural disasters linked to climate change, such as flooding. Each of these factors contributes to new displacement.
Currently, one in six Central Africans is displaced, either internally or externally, primarily to neighboring countries, due to conflict, violence, a lack of basic services, and extreme weather events. There are over 1.1 million displaced people, including more than 674,000 refugees in neighboring countries and approximately 447,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs), with 85 percent living with host families.
The humanitarian situation in CAR has improved significantly over the past four years, as security has become more stable in some areas. Since 2022, this has enabled hundreds of thousands of people to integrate locally or return to their areas of origin.
However, as one-sixth of the population has been forced to flee, CAR remains the country with the third-highest level of forced displacement in Africa, after Sudan and South Sudan. Most refugees have fled to Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Chad.
“CAR and its partners cannot afford to lose the progress made in recent years. We need immediate and sustained support to protect lives and support prospects of millions of Central Africans,” the Humanitarian Coordinator said.
Ag Ayoya thanked donors who, “despite challenging times”, have continued to support humanitarian organizations in providing life-saving assistance to those most in need, since humanitarian needs in the country remain acute and widespread, with more than one million children in need of aid.
Although there have been security improvements in some areas, the overall situation remains alarming, particularly in the northwest and east and, to a lesser extent, in the center. Clashes between parties to the conflict and attacks on civilians and infrastructure, such as schools and hospitals, persist.
Food insecurity threatens millions
According to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis, approximately 1.92 million people currently face high levels of acute food insecurity, categorized as IPC Phase 3 or worse. This includes 269,000 people experiencing emergency levels of food insecurity (IPC Phase 4) and nearly 1.66 million experiencing crisis levels (IPC Phase 3).
The main drivers of hunger in the Central African Republic remain armed conflict, particularly in the north and south of the country, frequent displacement, and poor agricultural production. The IPC analysis indicates that the most affected households include farmers with poor harvests and limited carry-over stocks, as well as IDPs and refugees living in host communities.
From April to August 2026, the lean season, ongoing conflict and high food prices are expected to exacerbate the situation, with around 2.29 million people projected to experience high levels of acute food insecurity. This includes an estimated 400,000 individuals facing emergency levels and over 1.9 million individuals facing crisis levels of acute hunger.
Meanwhile, over 228,000 children under five are suffering from or are expected to suffer from acute malnutrition, including over 61,500 children with severe acute malnutrition (SAM). The IPC predicts that the nutritional situation will deteriorate significantly in the coming months due to high rates of diseases such as diarrhea, malaria, and acute respiratory infections.