The International Committee of the Red Cross, ICRC, said it is delivering emergency assistance to families in the Central African Republic capital , Bangui. The ICRC says it has already been providing food aid and seed to families, however with the approach of the rainy season; an already difficult situation for people will be made worse.
The organization said families are out of grain reserves which were either stolen or destroyed by violence, while other families have fled their fields seeking safety.
“For the last two weeks, ICRC started distributing food and seed. So the populations that have been displaced, that were facing difficulties in the coming months, because they finished their food reserves they had from the last harvest, this week and this month were getting difficult for them. That is why ICRC decided to give them some new seeds, and some food for them to be able to wait for the next harvest season,” explained Vincent Pouget, a communications spokesperson for the ICRC in Bangui.
Thanks to improved security, the ICRC has been able to use trucks to reach the approximately 20,000 people in need in and around Bangui.
“We are not the only ones using these roads; however, we have made major distributions since March of this year. There has been no other organization that has organized such major distributions since the end of March,” said Pouget.
One big concern is being able to access people in the rural areas, outside of Bangui. Pouget explained that they are not able to access healthcare, and are more vulnerable to having their food supplies looted.
He said the ICRC is working to reach these people through mobile units to provide basic healthcare and food to families.
The organization said families are out of grain reserves which were either stolen or destroyed by violence, while other families have fled their fields seeking safety.
“For the last two weeks, ICRC started distributing food and seed. So the populations that have been displaced, that were facing difficulties in the coming months, because they finished their food reserves they had from the last harvest, this week and this month were getting difficult for them. That is why ICRC decided to give them some new seeds, and some food for them to be able to wait for the next harvest season,” explained Vincent Pouget, a communications spokesperson for the ICRC in Bangui.
Thanks to improved security, the ICRC has been able to use trucks to reach the approximately 20,000 people in need in and around Bangui.
“We are not the only ones using these roads; however, we have made major distributions since March of this year. There has been no other organization that has organized such major distributions since the end of March,” said Pouget.
One big concern is being able to access people in the rural areas, outside of Bangui. Pouget explained that they are not able to access healthcare, and are more vulnerable to having their food supplies looted.
He said the ICRC is working to reach these people through mobile units to provide basic healthcare and food to families.
