UN suspends aid in CAR Region

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has temporarily suspended its operations in the Haut-Mbomou region in southeastern Central African Republic, citing a sharp deterioration in security conditions marked by violence and attacks against humanitarian workers.

Access to affected communities has become increasingly difficult in areas such as Zémio, Mboki, and Dembia, where insecurity is disrupting movement and blocking the delivery of essential supplies. The situation is significantly limiting humanitarian assistance to vulnerable populations and raising serious concerns about their access to basic support.

According to OCHA, repeated security incidents are slowing down operations and making it harder to reach communities that are already deprived of basic services, infrastructure, and livelihoods.

Alban Joseph M’Boligassihe, Humanitarian Affairs Officer at OCHA, explained that the decision comes in response to growing risks faced by aid workers. He noted that the region hosts around 6,000 refugees and approximately 20,000 internally displaced people, stressing that ongoing attacks, threats, and killings against humanitarian personnel have made operations increasingly unsustainable.

He added that the suspension is also intended to allow time for renewed advocacy with all parties to the conflict in order to create conditions that would enable safe humanitarian access.

The consequences of the suspension are already being felt by local communities. According to OCHA, freedom of movement has been severely restricted, preventing people from accessing their farmlands and forcing some to take refuge in the bush, deepening an already critical humanitarian situation.

The agency is calling on armed groups and all parties to the conflict to immediately cease hostilities, stressing that improved security is essential for humanitarian actors to safely resume their operations and continue assisting affected populations.