UN: 30 Percent Of CAR Population At Risk Of Food Insecurity

Written by Staff

Jan 16, 2015

The unpredictable and hostile security situation in the Central African Republic (CAR) is having severe consequences for the country’s population still in dire need of humanitarian assistance, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) declared today.

Speaking at a press briefing in Geneva, WFP spokesperson Elisabeth Byrs pointed to the agency’s recent report evaluating the food security situation in the CAR and warned that 30 percent of the total population, or some 1.5 million people, were considered as being in a moderate to severe food security situation.

The report – based on data collected from 2,166 households and covering all prefectures of the country between 13 and 25 September 2014 – assesses how the UN agency can best address the current needs of the CAR population.

In addition, it maps the long-term negative effects food insecurity may have on children’s growth and people’s means of income, noting that displaced people living with host families and in camps were among the most vulnerable groups.