The Central
African Republic (CAR) is a highly fragile country with a history of...
The Central
African Republic (CAR) is a highly fragile country with a history of recurrent
conflict, the most recent of which took place in 2013 between multiple armed
groups. The violence that followed the 2013 crisis greatly damaged public
assets and infrastructure, disrupted service delivery, and further weakened the
social fabric, and exacerbated people’s poverty and vulnerability to shocks. As
a result, roughly one-quarter of the population was internally displaced or had
to flee as refugees to neighboring countries. Forced displacement has disrupted
livelihoods, depleted the assets of the poor, and put an additional strain on
service delivery in areas of displacement.
Improvements in
the security situation have resulted in the voluntary return of displaced
populations, primarily in the northwest and southwest of the country. It is
estimated that about 15 to 20 percent of the displaced population has returned
spontaneously. However, the return of the displaced to the areas of origin
remains fragile and dependent on the overall security situation. The
reintegration of displaced populations and provision of social safety nets is a
short term priority and essential to the stabilization and economic
revitalization of the country.
To this end, the
World Bank is supporting the Government of CAR to implement a project to
increase access to basic services, infrastructure and social safety needs by
communities affected by forced displacement. Among several deliverables in this
implementation phase, the project through UNOPS will construct or rehabilitate
several infrastructure’s project in the following areas: Kaga-bandoro,
Batafongo, Bria, Bambari and Bangui.
The project
adopts a multifaceted approach in support of communities affected by
displacement in CAR and it entails:
- support to enhance the delivery of local
services and availability of local infrastructure to benefit communities
impacted by displacement;
- financial support to the most vulnerable
households among displaced populations and local communities;
- working with
local communities and displaced populations to enhance their capacity to
address the impact of displacement and promote peaceful coexistence of
different groups;
- to enable local authorities (territorial
administration and communes) to participate in planning and overseeing the
execution of all activities executed under this project