GENEVA / CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

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Four international humanitarian groups have temporarily suspended aid in the Central African Republic for security reasons, after repeated attacks against their workers. UNTV CH
Description

STORY: GENEVA / CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
TRT: 02:44
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 5 MAY 2017, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND / RECENT

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Shotlist

RECENT, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

1. Wide shot exterior Palais des Nations

5 MAY 2017, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

2. Wide shot, press briefing room
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Christophe Boulierac, Spokesperson for UNICEF:
“In 2017 close to half of the population is in need of humanitarian assistance, including 1.1 million children. More than 40 percent of the children of Central African Republic are suffering from chronic malnutrition or stunting.”
4. Close up, hands typing
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Christophe Boulierac, Spokesperson for UNICEF:
“Central African Republic is one of the most difficult and dangerous countries in the world for children. It is also considered one of the most dangerous countries for humanitarian workers with 14 incidents involving NGO’s, non-governmental organizations, in March 2017 only.”
6. Close up, journalist
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Jens Laerke, Spokesperson for the UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA): “In the northern prefecture of Ouham in the north of the country we have had kind of a concentration of attacks against aid workers. Faced with this targeted violence against organizations four international organizations have decided to temporary suspend their activities in the areas where these threats imposed on them have reached a climax.”
8. Med shot, journalists
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Bettina Lüscher, Spokesperson for the World Food Programme (WFP):
“We were forced to half the food rations that have been distributed to the most vulnerable families. So, for many, that is the only food they were getting and we were forced to half those rations. We are doing emergency food, we are doing nutritional support, it is crucially important that the people get this. We are doing a combination of giving food, nutritional support but also in some areas give cash vouchers, so that people can buy local food for school meals for thousands of children. That is crucially important.”
10. Close up, typing
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Bettina Lüscher, Spokesperson for the World Food Programme (WFP):
“On every month on average we are providing transports for some 1, 700 aid workers and also on average 33 metric tons of cargo to places, to remote locations all over. As you know the UN humanitarian air service is mainly there to deliver people and serve everybody. And it is often the only way to get to people. So it is really dire and we join our colleagues in asking for funds but also that our people safely can go into those areas.”
12. Pan left, journalists

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Storyline

Four international humanitarian groups have temporarily suspended aid in the Central African Republic for security reasons, after repeated attacks against their workers.

Sixteen separate attacks against non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have been recorded in the Central African Republic's northern prefecture of Ouham since March, and threats of further attacks by armed groups continue a spokesman for the UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Jens Laerke, said today (5 May) in Geneva.

Laerke said “in the northern prefecture of Ouham in the north of the country, we have had kind of a concentration of attacks against aid workers. Faced with this targeted violence against organizations four international organizations have decided to temporary suspend their activities in the areas where these threats imposed on them have reached a climax."

The humanitarian staff will be relocated to the country's capital, Bangui, until their safety can be assured.

The deteriorating security is the not the only problem for aid workers in the Central African Republic, the humanitarian response plan is one of the most under-funded in the world.

Any suspension of humanitarian activities will inevitably have a negative impact on those who depend on aid, Laerke said. Approximately half of the population in the country, some 2.2 million people – half of them children - are estimated to be in need of humanitarian relief.

Due to the lack of funding, the World Food Programme (WFP) had already to reduce their food assistance in the country. WFP spokesperson Bettina Lüscher said “we were forced to half the food rations that have been distributed to the most vulnerable families. So, for many, that is the only food they were getting and we were forced to half those rations.”

WFP is currently providing emergency food, nutritional support but also in some areas giving cash vouchers, so that people can buy local food for school meals for children.

Lüscher explained that “every month on average we are providing transports for some 1, 700 aid workers and also on average 33 metric tons of cargo to places, to remote locations all over. As you know the UN humanitarian air service is mainly there to deliver people and serve everybody. And it is often the only way to get to people. So it is really dire and we join our colleagues in asking for funds but also that our people safely can go into those areas.”

UNICEF spokesperson Christophe Boulierac said that the Central African Republic was a “forgotten crisis” threatening the lives and well-being of more than one million children.

Boulierac said "in 2017 close to half of the population is in need of humanitarian assistance, including 1.1 million children. More than 40 per cent of the children of Central African Republic are suffering from chronic malnutrition or stunting.”

According to figures from UNICEF, one in seven children will die before they turn five, and a third of children are out of school. Boulierac said “Central African Republic is one of the most difficult and dangerous countries in the world for children.”

Leaders of the armed groups in the Central African Republic signed a commitment two years ago to release all the children within their ranks. Over 7,000 children have been released since then, but hundreds more are still enrolled.

Central African Republic was plunged into turmoil in 2013 when Muslim rebels from the Seleka umbrella group seized power in the majority Christian country. A band of mostly Christian militias, called the anti-Balaka, rose up to counter the Seleka. The Seleka and other groups have since splintered, prompting further violence despite the election in March 2016 of President Faustin-Archange Touadera, which raised hopes of reconciliation.

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unifeed170505a
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1881392
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1881392