In the Central African Republic, persistent armed conflict and annual flooding have caused mass internal displacement and food insecurity. As humanitarian access remains limited, Humanity & Inclusion is delivering goods to isolated areas by boat.

An estimated 1.4 million people—representing almost one-third of the country’s entire population—have been displaced by ongoing conflict. Over 2 million people are facing severe food insecurity due to a lack of safety, which is only expected to worsen in the lean season when less food is produced. Under constant threat of danger, civilians are forced to go without basic needs such as food, medicine and hygiene items to avoid risking their lives.

‘Access is one of our greatest concerns’

“A massive humanitarian crisis is growing and we have to prepare for it,” says Yamina Issad, Humanity & Inclusion’s operations officer for the Central African Republic. “As soon as conflict arises, all humanitarian access is completely blocked. There is only one route that connects Bambari to Bangasou, and it is now inaccessible. This isolates the population in those areas and worsens the hardships people are already experiencing. Right now, access is one of our greatest concerns.”

To overcome inaccessibility by road, Humanity & Inclusion has begun shipping goods such as fuel, building materials, oil and essential non-food items by boat along high-water rivers during the rainy season.  

“Access to communities along the river is particularly difficult by road,” explains Damien Volland, Humanity & Inclusion’s head of logistics and transport. “There is a lack of security and damaged infrastructure, which is accentuated during the rainy season. But, when the water is high, boats are easier to navigate. Transport by boat on the Oubangui River allows us to bypass these obstacles and reach more populations in need of humanitarian assistance.”

Delivering tons of aid

For years, local organizations have used boats to transport goods during rainy season, but the method is rarely used among international NGOs. Humanity & Inclusion’s logistics team is able to deliver between 50 and 60 tons of humanitarian goods per boat for partner organizations such as Solidarités International, ACTED and Action Against Hunger to reach people in some of the most isolated parts of the country.

These activities are funded in part by USAID's Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance and are carried out in partnership with Premiere Urgence Internationale.

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Humanity & Inclusion’s emergency staff has been actively responding since a 7.2-magnitude earthquake hit Haiti two months ago. Teams have already provided 1,200 rehabilitation sessions to injured people and delivered more than 150 tons of humanitarian supplies.

Deliver emergency aid to Haiti

Humanity & Inclusion’s teams are transporting hundreds of tons of equipment to help the worst-affected families after the Aug. 14 earthquake in Haiti.

One month after a 7.2-magnitude earthquake affected 690,000 people in southwest Haiti, humanitarian needs in the country remain immense. The natural disaster wreaked havoc on the Grand’Anse, South and Nippes districts, causing over 2,200 deaths and putting 650,000 people in need of vital support.

“Day after day at the rehabilitation center, patients are multiplying,” says Guetchly-Nise, a physical therapist recruited by Humanity & Inclusion and its partner FONTEN in Les Cayes.

Deliver emergency aid to Haiti

Humanity & Inclusion transported more than 16 tons of equipment from its emergency response depot in Dubai to Port-au-Prince to help communities affected by the Aug. 14 earthquake.

In the aftermath of the recent Haitian earthquake, Humanity & Inclusion delivers humanitarian aid by sea to support people affected by the disaster.

On Monday morning, Humanity & Inclusion received a maritime shipment of mobility aids in Les Cayes, where its emergency team has been responding since the recent earthquake caused more than 2,200 deaths and over 12,000 injuries throughout southwest Haiti.

Deliver emergency aid to Haiti

Humanity & Inclusion staff member Jimmy Müller Baguimala Kobé offers a glimpse into life on the logistics team during conflict in the Central African Republic.

Jimmy Müller Baguimala Kobé is not your average delivery guy. He delivers life-saving goods in a life-threatening environment. While it may be said that “neither snow, nor rain, nor heat” can stop the postal service, for Jimmy and his colleagues “neither heat, nor armed conflict, nor land mines” can stop their vital work.

Jimmy is a logistics officer for Humanity & Inclusion in the Central African Republic (CAR), based in Bangui, where millions of people and numerous NGOs depend on him and his team to deliver essential supplies amid tense and dangerous internal conflict.

 “We transport goods for humanitarian aid throughout the country. This includes medicine, kits of essential items, and coal to fuel generators in hospitals without electricity. It is extremely important to have this delivery system in place because the people need supplies, and so many organizations and NGOs providing aid here are not able to transport these items on their own. They come to us, and we make sure it gets to the [communities] for them. I love the work I do because it does such a huge service to the population.” —Jimmy Müller Baguimala Kobé, Logistics Officer for Humanity & Inclusion

Already considered one of the poorest countries in the world, a recent blockade at the border has forced the CAR to depend on surrounding countries for goods, causing prices to skyrocket. More than 2 million people are experiencing dangerous levels of food insecurity and rely heavily on humanitarian aid to meet their needs.

“Safety is a major concern,” Jimmy explains. “Some of the internal roads are finally starting to open back up, but they are dangerous, which can block trucks and slow down road deliveries. There have been several serious incidents recently where vehicles were set on fire. Mines are also a problem, causing both injuries and deaths.”

Transportation in this context is already difficult due to fragmented infrastructure and security threats, but movement is even more constrained by Covid-19 restrictions. This further isolates the people disproportionately affected by crisis such as children, aging people, women and people with disabilities.  

“The population is experiencing a terrible crisis and urgently needs humanitarian intervention, and the work we’re doing makes that possible,” Jimmy says. “We are asking our supporters to continue helping us bring this aid to every part of the country. These goods are essential in order for help to continue, and for the benefit of the people.”

While Jimmy recognizes the immense value in his work, he ultimately hopes for an end to the conflict and a return to a time where these efforts are no longer necessary.

“I wish with all my heart that things would go back to normal. I don’t want to relive the situation we’ve been in,” he says. “For now, people are depending on us.”

Header image: The Humanity & Inclusion logistics team delivers a truckload of supplies in the Central African Republic in November 2020. Copyright: Adrienne Surprenant/HI; Inline image: Portrait of Jimmy Müller Baguimala Kobé. Copyright: HI

Amid rising tensions, Humanity & Inclusion is implementing health, logistics and inclusion projects in the Central African Republic. Based in Bangui, Bambari and Bangassou, its teams are ready to help people caught up in the worsening conflict.

"The Central African Republic has entered a new cycle of violence," explains Coralie Frémion, Humanity & Inclusion’s Program Director in the Central African Republic. "Since mid-December, there has been a resurgence in fighting between government forces and their allies on the one hand, and the Coalition of Patriots for Change on the other."

Population severely affected by conflict

The Central African Republic depends on imports for certain food, fuel and industrial products. 

"For the last two months, traffic along the country's main road from Bangui to Douala in Cameroon, through which most imported goods usually transit, has been disrupted by insecurity and armed violence,” Frémion says. "This has impacted everyone in the Central African Republic because it has caused a spike in inflation."

The price of rice in Bangui, for example, increased 43% in January 2021. 

Since December, the crisis has resulted in more than 120,000 new internally displaced people in addition to 600,000 people who were already displaced. A quarter of the country’s population–1.3 million people–are internally displaced or living in neighboring countries

"This raises serious concerns about the protection of civilians and humanitarian actors," Frémion explains. "Yet despite this context and the insecurity, Humanity & Inclusion and many NGOs continue to provide assistance."

Work continues despite challenges

In partnership with Première Urgence Internationale, and with funding from USAID's Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, Humanity & Inclusion is working to distribute supplies in the Central African Republic. Humanity & Inclusion's six-person logistics team is on stand-by to deliver essential aid on behalf of all humanitarian organizations working in the country, transporting supplies including medicine, vaccines, Covid-19 kits, and kits of essential items such as blankets, plastic sheets, soap, school supplies and construction materials.

Humanity & Inclusion’s transport of humanitarian cargo by air is likely to play an increasingly important role in keeping supplies available. Air freight is sometimes the only way to reach the most vulnerable people easily and quickly, and Humanity & Inclusion’s program covers 24 destinations. 

In addition, Humanity & Inclusion physical rehabilitation project has provided care to several injured people in Bambari, a town in the center of the country, where armed clashes have taken place. In January, 70% of Humanity & Inclusion’s patients were wounded in the conflict. All had bullet wounds. 

Humanity & Inclusion’s nine-person team provides physical therapy, psychosocial support, mobility aids, prosthetics and orthotics to people with disabilities and injuries in the region.

Image: Workers wearing vests and face masks load a truck of supplies in the Central African Republic in November 2020. Copyright: Adrienne Surprenant/HI