The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is warning that more than 41,000 people in central and northern regions of the Central African Republic (CAR) will lose access to vital healthcare services by June due to funding shortfalls. The UN's primary health partner, the International Medical Corps, which assists displaced individuals in these regions, is expected to cease operations due to a lack of funding.
OCHA cautions that fragile humanitarian progress in CAR is now at risk of being reversed as severe funding shortages force aid agencies to reduce life-saving services amid ongoing conflict, displacement and increasing food insecurity.
In an update on Thursday, OCHA reported that the funding gaps will affect healthcare services for common illnesses, for maternal and child health, and for mental health. People in displacement sites and return areas will face disruptions to free medical consultations and referrals to specialized medical care.
Over the past four years, the humanitarian situation in the country has significantly improved, as security has become more stable in some regions. Since 2022, this has enabled hundreds of thousands of people to integrate locally or return to their areas of origin.
However, with one-sixth of its population having been forced to flee, the Central African Republic 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 the Congo, and Chad.
Since April 2023, meanwhile, more than 36,000 Sudanese refugees have fled to CAR, and Sudanese nationals now account for 70 percent of the country's refugees. In parts of the northern Vakaga region, the influx of Sudanese refugees has effectively doubled the population, putting a strain on already scarce local resources.
Humanitarian operations across the country are increasingly constrained by severe underfunding. Since July 2025, an average of ten humanitarian field offices have closed each month, reducing aid to vulnerable communities. Last week, OCHA reported that 60 humanitarian organizations had scaled back their presence, including in areas with the greatest need.
Food security is also deteriorating. The World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that it could be forced to suspend food and cash assistance to Sudanese refugees and displaced Central Africans as early as August.
These warnings come at a time when approximately 2.29 million people are facing high levels of acute hunger, including 400,000 individuals in emergency conditions (IPC Phase 4) and over 1.9 million individuals in crisis conditions (IPC Phase 3), according to the most recent Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis.
The drivers of hunger include ongoing armed conflict, frequent displacement, and poor agricultural production. The most affected households include farmers with low yields and limited food stocks, as well as internally displaced people (IDPs) and refugees living within host communities. Funding shortages are exacerbating these challenges by limiting access to food assistance and basic services.
Children are among those hit hardest. More than 228,000 children under the age of five are suffering from—or are expected to suffer from—acute malnutrition, including over 61,500 cases of severe acute malnutrition (SAM). The IPC warns that conditions will likely worsen in the coming months due to the spread of diseases such as diarrhea, malaria, and respiratory infections.
The 2026 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) seeks US$264 million — the lowest amount requested in recent years — to assist 1.3 million of the country’s most vulnerable people. Despite the reduced funding requirements, however, only 14 percent of the appeal has been met thus far.
In 2025, humanitarian agencies requested $326 million to support 1.8 million people, but they received only $122 million—just over one-third of the target amount. Consequently, only 887,000 people received assistance, approximately half of the initial target.
Compared to the same period last year, funding for 2026 has dropped by nearly 13 percent, despite the lower overall requirements. Aid agencies warn that if this trend continues, hard-won humanitarian gains could be reversed, leaving communities trapped in prolonged cycles of dependence.
The UN humanitarian office is urgently calling on donors to step up funding now to prevent further disruptions to humanitarian operations, protect lives, and support recovery. The office also emphasizes the need for safe, sustained, and unhindered humanitarian access across the country.
Despite security improvements in some areas, conflict, epidemics, and climate disasters continue to disrupt the lives of people in the Central African Republic, leaving 2.3 million people—one-third of the population—in need of humanitarian aid.
CAR remains one of the world’s most neglected humanitarian crises. Since 2012, the country has been affected by persistent armed conflict and the presence of militant groups. Civilians continue to face violence, including attacks on healthcare facilities, gender-based violence, and other violations of human rights and international humanitarian law.
Climate-related shocks, such as flooding, further compound vulnerabilities and contribute to displacement. Currently, more than 1.1 million Central Africans are displaced, including over 674,000 refugees in neighboring countries and approximately 447,000 IDPs. Most of these displaced people live with host families.