Central African Republic (CAR) HUMANITARIAN CRISES ANALYSIS 2018 December 2017

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1 Central African Republic (CAR) HUMANITARIAN CRISES ANALYSIS 2018 December 2017 Each year, Sida conducts a humanitarian allocation exercise in which a large part of its humanitarian budget is allocated to emergencies worldwide. This allocation takes place in the beginning of the year as to ensure predictability for humanitarian organisations and to allow for best possible operational planning. In an effort to truly adhere to the humanitarian principles, Sida bases its allocation decisions on a number of objective indicators and parameters of which the most important are related to the number of affected people, vulnerability of affected people and level of funding in previous years. One of the indicators is also related to forgotten crises in order to ensure sufficient funding to low profile crises. Besides this initial allocation, another part of the humanitarian budget is set aside as an emergency reserve for sudden onset emergencies and deteriorating humanitarian situations. This reserve allows Sida to quickly allocate funding to any humanitarian situation throughout the year, including additional funding to the Central African Republic. For 2018, CAR is allocated an initial 77 Million Swedish Kronor (MSEK). Close monitoring of the situation in CAR will continue throughout the year for potential additional funding or amendments. 1. CRISIS OVERVIEW 1.1. Type of Crisis/ Disaster The Central African Republic (CAR), is one of the world s poorest countries, presently ranked 188 which is the last on the Human Development Index list. It was for decades a forgotten and protracted humanitarian crisis characterized by political instability, chronic underdevelopment and localised emergency situations. Since the Coup d Etat in 2013, the situation has worsened and it has since then been treated as a complex emergency with large humanitarian needs. The security situation deteriorated quickly since 2014; many atrocities and violations of human rights were committed resulting in massive movements of population including exodus towards Chad, DRC and Cameroon. Retaliation actions by various armed groups has plunged the country into a very deep conflict that mostly affects civilian population. The underlying causes of the conflict are mainly related to public frustration caused by a failed democratisation process, failed demobilization, disarmament, reintegration and security sector reform processes, lack of development and economic opportunities, absence of a functioning state, and power struggles within the political elite. CAR is rich in natural resources (such as oil, gold, diamonds, uranium, timber, pasture, water) and the control over these resources is another source of conflicts. A new transitional government was installed in 2014 with the support of international and regional powers, followed by peaceful elections in early 2016 thereby marking a return to constitutional order. There are many armed groups in CAR more or less aligned to two main factions but the chains of command are very weak, and each group has its particular grievances. Civilians continue to suffer the consequences, including attacks on IDP camps, making CAR primarily a protection crisis. State presence outside of Bangui remains extremely limited leading to a situation where victor s justice is the norm creating an environment of widespread impunity. Access to basic social services is scarce or non-existent, widespread destruction of social infrastructure since 2013 and lack of staff who have been killed or displaced forces humanitarian actors to provide significant, urgent, liesaving assistance as well as emergency basic social services Geographical areas and affected population The HRP was developed in close coordination with the new National Plan for Recovery and Peacebuilding (RCPCA) in an effort to plan in parallel for recovery/development and humanitarian interventions. The HRP covers the period although funding needs are only articulated for The current HRP differs from previous plans in that the analysis emanating from the HNO led to the definition of three categories of humanitarian needs (see also map in annex 1). Category 1 Affected population with critical and immediate needs due to a humanitarian shock. This area covers the central part of the country stretching from North-West to South-East. This is an area registering many incidents of violence and fighting for control of natural resources. 1

2 Urgent humanitarian assistance to victims of violence and displaced populations is the main priority but humanitarian access is a major constraint. Category 2 Affected population with acute needs related to their chronic vulnerabilities. This applies /is spread/ the entire country and relates both to the lack of access to basic social services but also to the ever-increasing number of people in need of food assistance due to lack of access to fields for cultivation, agricultural inputs and death of livestock. Category 3 Affected population with needs of support for return, integration and resettlement covers the South-West and parts of the zone bordering the DRC. It is expected to see the return of CAR populations who are presently refugees in Cameroun and DRC, although opinions differ on the likelihood and scale of the expected returns considering that only 65,000 returned in Experience so far shows that there are social constraints to the return and reintegration of Muslim populations and that questions related to housing, land and property are a major source of conflicts. The HRP considers that the whole population is affected by the present crisis and that over half of the population, that is about 2.4 million people, require immediate humanitarian assistance in A major problem is that 20% of the total CAR population is displaced (600,250 IDPs and over , refugees in neighbouring countries) with only 30% of the IDPs living in formal settlements. The number of IDPs increased sharply by 50% during 2017 due to renewed conflict and the expansion of conflict to new areas of the country Critical Assumptions, risks and threats The main risks and threats to the population, as well as to humanitarian actors, are related to the continued lawlessness and impunity in the country, driven by stalemates in the peace and reconciliation process as well as recurrent outbursts of violence. The UN Security Council has approved a United Nations Peace Keeping Operation called MINUSCA (Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central Africa Republic) which has been operational since Although the security situation in Bangui has improved since 2016, security still cannot be guaranteed in the countryside, along the major transport roads, and for humanitarian operations; and it has deteriorated during According to the International NGO safety Organization (INSO) there have been over 300 incidents involving NGOs in CAR during 2017, putting the country at the top of the list with 30% of all recorded incidents worldwide. These incidents, which have of late targeted NGOs property and staff, lead to instances of temporary interruption of humanitarian assistance which overall continues to be delivered, despite difficulties. The HRP indicates that humanitarian access in CAR is restricted by a number of factors: insecurity due to activities of armed groups and criminals, lack of acceptance of humanitarian actors by significant segments of the population and communities, physical obstacles such as poor roads and damaged bridges, administrative harassment and corruption. The Health system has been seriously affected by the events of and has basically collapsed. The HRP estimates that over 23% of the health facilities have been destroyed, and that humanitarian actors provide more than 70% of the health services in the country. The country experienced an outbreak of cholera during 2016 and there is a real possibility that CAR will experience further outbreaks of epidemics, due to low and decreasing vaccination coverage among other factors. A generic risk in all countries with humanitarian needs is the risk of corruption. With general challenges in all societal pillars including law, order, stability and justice - the area of checks and balances also becomes fragile. CAR ranks number 159 of 176 on Transparency Internationals Index for According to the Global Humanitarian Overview, the outlook for 2018 is worrisome. The humanitarian situation is predicted to deteriorate, and access to people in need could be further restricted by continued and escalating violence as well as deteriorating physical infrastructure. Little progress has been made on implementation of the National Plan for Recovery and Peacebuilding (RCPCA) and the HRP for 2018 takes that into consideration, although pledging to continue coordination with actors involved in early recovery and development. 2

3 1.4. Strategic Objectives and Priorities of the Country Humanitarian Response Plan The HRP 2018 targets 1.9 million people of the 2.4 in need. The total cost of the HRP is USD526 million an increase by 29% from last year. The strategic objectives for are: 1. Save Lives: Populations affected by chocks have access to an integrated emergency assistance to ensure their survival while preserving their security and dignity. 2. Promote respect of fundamental rights: the protection of populations affected and at risk of violation of human rights is reinforced. 3. Preserve human dignity: Populations affected and at risk have access to basic social services and their livelihood mechanisms are restored. The preservation of humanitarian space and access by promoting respect for the humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence will be a major task during To facilitate coordination with the security operations, UNOCHA will continue to host a Civil-Military Coordinator. As reflected in the HRP, insecurity and limited access will be major constraints for humanitarian assistance in The air services provided by the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) will be crucial as well as the pre-positioning of food and non-food items (NFIs). 2. IN COUNTRY HUMANITARIAN CAPACITIES 2.1. National and local capacities and constraints The government s capacity in CAR has always been very weak and is mostly concentrated in the capital. The disruptions during 2013/14 which deliberately targeted Government institutions such as schools, health posts, police offices, tribunals and other administrative buildings have left the Government even weaker. Payment of Civil Servants salaries has been irregular since Following the return to constitutional order and with the promised international support for the RCPCA Plan, there are better prospects for an improvement of government capacity in the medium term. Civil society in CAR have been very fragmented and most Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) are political in nature with limited capacity to assist in any principled humanitarian response. Having said that, the number of national NGOs doubled since 2014 but only a few have the operational and technical capacity, or funding to deliver humanitarian assistance at a larger scale. The CAR Humanitarian Fund (CHF) has provided funding for capacity development of national non-governmental organizations (NNGOs) through collaborations with international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) International operational capacities and constraints The Humanitarian Coordinator (HC) leads the humanitarian work in CAR with the support of OCHA and eleven clusters headed by United Nation (UN) agencies. Overall cluster coordination has improved since 2014 as a consequence of the increased number of partners, the acuteness of the displacement situation, and the influx of qualified emergency staff during the early phases of the Level 3 (L3) response. OCHA opened sub-offices in various towns to facilitate field level coordination and Sida has through MSB assisted in improving the working and living conditions in some of these field locations. The United Nations Children s Fund (UNICEF) has a special role as it manages the in-country Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM) responsible for rapid needs assessments and initial response in sudden onset crisis. The Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection Directorate General of the European Commission (ECHO) and the USAID/OFDA have field offices in Bangui whilst other donors rely on field visits from their headquarters (HQs) or regional hubs to monitor and gather information on the situation, making donor coordination difficult. All major UN humanitarian agencies and international humanitarian NGOs are present in CAR. According to the HRP the total number of organisations involved in the international humanitarian response in 2017 was 3

4 national NGOs, 54 international NGOs, 10 UN Agencies, and 3 members of the International Movement of the Red Cross. One major constraint is the difficulty to recruit French-speaking international staff to this non-family duty station and staff turn-over is also very high. A number of international NGOs are said to be considering leaving CAR due to lack of funding and the difficult security situation in CAR International and Regional assistance The major humanitarian donors to CAR in 2017 were the following: USA (26%), ECHO (10%), United Kingdom, (9%), Japan (6%), Germany (5%) Canada (3.9%) and Sweden (3.9%). There is a Humanitarian Fund (CHF) in CAR to which 10 countries (Sweden, Ireland, Netherlands, UK, Belgium, Switzerland, Canada, Germany, Denmark and Luxembourg) contributed to in The funding level for the CHF was USD22 million in 2017 about the same as in 2016 and corresponding to 12% of the funding received for the HRP. Total humanitarian funding was USD233 million (compared to USD258 million in 2016 and USD367 million in 2015) of which USD181 million was for the HRP implementation. This meant a financing at 37 % of the HRP and showing that CAR is again slipping into the category of forgotten crisis. The USA had increased their support to the CAR crisis substantially in 2014 up to USD145 million including interventions in neighbouring countries but it has since reduced funding to CAR. In 2015 it amounted to only USD90 million, USD65 million in 2016 and USD47 million in The focus has been on food aid through the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) as well as protection and health. ECHO provided USD18 million in 2017 (USD29 million in 2016). ECHO takes a regional approach to the CAR crisis and provides assistance in three countries, which are CAR, Chad and Cameroon. ECHO s interventions span over a wide range of sectors including; Protection Health and Nutrition, Food Assistance/Food Security, Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH), Shelter/NFIs, and Logistics Access Situation Insecurity, and logistical challenges and administrative bottlenecks represent the main constraints to humanitarian access in the Central African Republic. The situation has steadily deteriorated since the end of 2016 and requires the development and implementation of strategies to prevent or mitigate these constraints and contribute to an improved humanitarian response. The HRP provides common strategic and operational guidelines to strengthen humanitarian access. Humanitarian actors, building on a number of existing initiatives and mechanisms, will focus on four mutually reinforcing areas of action; (I) Engagement and acceptance through dialogue with parties to conflict and with the authorities (executive and legislature) and communities. Common messages and common rules of engagement should continue to be developed with localized action plans given the complexity and multiplicity of stakeholders at the local level. (ii) Adherence to humanitarian principles: if the respect of humanitarian principles by the stakeholders (authorities, parties to the conflict, etc.) must be developed. It is also important that the adherence of humanitarian actors to the fundamental principles guiding action are strengthened and consolidated, including through common messages, common rules of conduct or standards, and awarenessraising and training of humanitarian staff. (iii) Security: in particular a necessary reinforcement of the degree of the security analysis in order to make it possible to better identify the different contexts, more flexibility in the evaluations, of road axes for example, to answer the volatility of the context. (iv) Logistics with a focus on two areas: the strengthening of air transport capacity (cargo plane, runway maintenance), as well as common storage and rapid deployment capacities in crisis areas, such as mobile antennas with telecommunications means, etc. 3. SIDAs HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE PLAN 3.1. The role of Sida Sida s role in 2018 will be to continue to contribute to strengthening the humanitarian response with a focus on quality, e.g. improved coordination, improved management of the CHF and further mainstreaming of protection, gender and accountability to affected populations, as well as flexibility given the highly volatile prospects for humanitarian needs in the country during The initial allocation for CAR in 2017 was 60 MSEK but due to low levels of funding for this crisis it received further support from Sida during the mid-year and end-of-year allocations. Therefore, Sida provided approximately 100 MSEK to CAR in 2017, and was 4

5 the 5 th largest bilateral humanitarian donor to the country. 15 MSEK was provided through the Sida RRM mechanism. There are very few humanitarian donors present in CAR and Sida will continue to follow developments in the country through regular media follow-up, exchange of information with other donors and with NGO partners receiving support from Sida. Sida will make a couple of visits to the country during Sida will continue to be engaged in the management of the CHF and will during 2017 be a member of the Advisory Board. At the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the responsibility to cover developments in CAR has been transferred to the embassy of Sweden in Kampala which has taken a keen interest in CAR with several visits during Sida coordinates and shares information with the embassy and will plan for at least one joint visit in Response Priorities 2018 It is Sida s assessment that the situation in CAR will remain very fragile and insecure during 2018 with frequent outbreaks of violence and continued displacements of the population. Return of refugees from neighbouring countries is expected to remain limited. There is a need for better field coverage and presence by humanitarian actors despite a very dangerous and volatile environment. Protection will be central and there is a particular need for protection of displaced populations, children at risk and to address Sexual and Gender-based Violence (SGBV). With regard to Health and Livelihoods there is a need for vaccination, improved access to basic social services and livelihood assistance. Given the expected volatility of the security situation in CAR it is of particular importance to ensure that there is flexibility in the response mechanisms. To address this issue Sida proposes to allocate funding to the CHF, the ICRC and the UNICEF/RRM mechanism. With the proposed focus on non-earmarked funding (67%) for the sake of flexibility there will hardly be a geographic targeting of the Sida funding but the intention is that it will be used in the zones assessed as hotspots in the HRP Partners PLAN International: Started its activities in CAR in 2014, partly with Swedish RRM-financing and has continued to focus on child protection and education in emergencies with a geographical focus on Mambere Kadei province in the South West of CAR, bordering Cameroon. PLAN has delivered agreed results and field visits have shown strong commitment, professionalism and close relations with local communities and other stakeholders. In 2017 a new multi-year project has been initiated with the aim to reach 17,000 beneficiaries in the Kaga-Bandoro and Amada Gaza areas both regarded as hotspots. Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC): Sida started in 2017 to provide programme based support to NRC s humanitarian programme in the CAR. The objectives of the NRC country program in CAR are: to provide lifesaving and life-sustaining assistance to newly displaced populations; to provide multi-sectorial assistance according to the acute needs and vulnerabilities faced by persons affected by continued displacement, including IDPs, returnees and host communities; to provide innovative and integrated assistance to achieve durable solutions for protracted IDPs, host communities and returnees. International Rescue Committee (IRC): IRC is working three priority geographical areas and have proposed a multi-year program. The focus will continue to be on livelihood and protection, in particular the protection of women, girls and survivors of GBV. IRC will strengthen conflict sensitive planning, vocational training/livelihood skills, as well as the capacity building of NNGOs/CBOs. IRC will maintain emergency response capacity in CAR during the coming year. World Food Programme/UNHAS: There is still a serious lack of road access in CAR, and in view of the frequent attacks and high level of violence it is important to continue funding UNHAS to ensure access to remote areas. A number of airstrips were rehabilitated in 2016/2017 increasing the coverage of the air operations, and new routes have been added. In general terms, supply routes to CAR and within the country have been disrupted, a situation that is expected to continue during 2018 despite the presence of MINUSCA. During 2017, criminal attacks on humanitarian transports have increased steadily and it was agreed to expand the UNHAS fleet to include the capacity to transport cargo as road transport has become more dangerous. 5

6 UNICEF/RRM: The Rapid Response Mechanism is designed to monitor humanitarian action, conduct multisector assessments (MSA) and intervene in NFI and WASH when there is no capacity on site. Between January and October 2017, 50 MSA missions, 31 NFI distributions and 23 WASH interventions were carried out reaching out to 200,000 beneficiaries. The RRM has been instrumental in providing immediate support to populations affected by the various outbursts of violence in the country, which are expected to continue in UNICEF/AAP: UNICEF will lead and manage the implementation of a project on Inter-Agency Collective Services for Community Engagement and Accountability in CAR. The two-year project aims to ensure that humanitarian response in CAR is informed by and adapts to the views, feedback and perceptions of the affected populations. United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN/OCHA): Support to OCHA is still very important both at national and sub-national level. OCHA is also responsible for the administration of the Humanitarian Fund which has increased its volume substantially and witnessed a marked improvement in management systems. It is important to continue to supply donors, many without representation in CAR, with frequent analysis, communication and results reporting. CAR Humanitarian Fund (CHF): The CHF in CAR was established in 2008 and remains a key financing mechanism to address critical needs in a country where needs change quickly and few donors have a permanent presence. The Management of the fund has seen steady improvement since Basic governance documents following the Global Guidelines have been developed and revised during Regular information bulletins have been published quarterly, and increased use of video/phone conferences between the CHF managers and donors has facilitated the follow-up on performance. It is important for Sweden to continue being a key donor to the CHF to strengthen humanitarian leadership and to address the urgent needs in CAR through a flexible mechanism. Sweden is a member of the Advisory Board together with UK and Switzerland. International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC): ICRC is a very important partner in the area of Protection in CAR. ICRC has access to many areas of the country and it has the capacity and qualifications to have impact in this conflict stricken country as well as the much-needed flexibility to attend to urgent situations as needs arise. The program for 2018 emphasizes Assistance in the form of support to Livelihoods, Health, and WASH. Action Contre la Faim (ACF): ACF is a new partner for Sida in CAR and it proposes an emergency response intervention focused on Nutrition, Health and Mental Health and Care Practices. The project will will contribute to reduce morbidity and mortality of the conflict-affected populations in the impacted region of Basse-Kotto prefecture, through a proactive approach providing a comprehensive package of live-saving and prevention nutrition activities to 7,000 beneficiaries Strategic Funding in Protracted Crises PLAN International and IRC have proposed multi-year financing under category A - Humanitarian assistance in protracted crises, in line with multi-year Humanitarian Response Plan 1. However, IRC has requested for 3 years although the HRP ends in two years time, so funding from Sida will only be for two years. Both organisations have received Sida funding for the last 3-4 years often for similar activities in the same areas but covering new or different beneficiaries. The type of activities undertaken by these two partners, which are protection/education and protection/livelihoods, are well suited for multi-year funding. 1 Sida supports multi-year humanitarian interventions with one of the following purposes: A. Humanitarian assistance in protracted crises, in line with multi-year Humanitarian Response Plan (only in contexts with multi-year humanitarian planning) B. Transition/phase out of humanitarian assistance (handing over to development and national/local actors according to a proposed plan within a specific time-frame). C. Humanitarian assistance in specifically hard-to-reach areas. Based on the observation that in many of today s humanitarian contexts, few actors tend to have access to those with the greatest needs, Sida would like to encourage partners to build strong and durable relations with concerned stakeholders in a view to facilitate swift and efficient access also to areas considered more challenging to reach. 6

7 Plan has requested for multi-year funding in areas where they initiated work during 2017 with Sida emergency funding and it is therefore logical to agree to this kind of funding. OXFAM has proposed multi-year funding under Categories B and C. Activities under category B, which are transition/phasing out of humanitarian assistance, will be implemented in Pauoa an area where OXFAM has worked and is well established including access to local partners to whom it will handover at the end of the 3-year phase. Activities under category C Humanitarian assistance in specifically hard to reach areas, will be implemented in Markounda, an area near the border with Chad, where hardly any humanitarian organisations work due to remoteness and high levels of violence Synergies with Long-term Development Assistance Sweden does not have any development cooperation with CAR. As previously mentioned, the HRP was developed in close coordination with the new National Plan for Recovery and Peacebuilding (RCPCA) in an effort to plan in parallel for recovery/development and humanitarian interventions. However, the RCPCA has faced substantial delays in implementation and will probably not be a major factor for Another source of non-humanitarian funding is the Bekou Fund, backed by the EU and some other donors but it has so far limited reach. SIDA s HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE TO CAR in 2018 (Insert total sum allocated to country. If another sum is proposed please indicate that sum with a second/separate table) Recommended Sector/focus of work (incl. If Multi-year support partner for Sida integrated or multi indicate category A or Proposed amount support sectorial programming) C PLAN Int. Protection/Education A (2 years) 8,000,000 NRC Protection/Livelihoods A (2 years) 9,000,000 IRC Protection/Livelihoods A (2 years) 8,000,000 ACF Health/WASH/NUT 7,000,000 OXFAM Food, WASH, Livelihoods C (2 years) 6,000,000 WFP/UNHAS Logistics 8,000,000 UNICEF/RRM Multi-Sector, WASH/NFI 5,000,000 OCHA Coordination 5,000,000 UNDP/OCHA CBPF 12,000,000 ICRC Protection, Health 5,000,000 TOTAL: 73,000,000 Recommended partner for Sida support ADDITIONAL MULTI YEAR RESILIENCE FOCUSED FUNDING Sector/focus of work (incl. Multi-year support integrated or multi category B sectorial programming) Proposed amount for 2018 OXFAM 3 years ( ) 4,000,000 TOTAL: 4,000,000 7