Introduction
The Central African Republic (CAR) is one of the poorest countries in the world and is at the bottom of the Human Development Index: 191st out of 193 countries. Years of conflict, political instability and underdevelopment have resulted in one of the world’s most neglected, protracted humanitarian crises.
Essential social services are lacking and 2.4 million people – 38% of the population – need humanitarian aid. The UN reprioritisation due to the lack of funding in 2025 has led to a reduction of people targeted from 1.8 to 1.2 million. The EU is a long-standing donor of humanitarian operations in the CAR.
What are the needs?
According to the risk assessment tool INFORM, CAR ranks 4th among countries most at risk of humanitarian crises with poor socio-economic indicators, limited access to social services, and a food crisis. Continued violence and natural disasters such as floods and wildfires are also of great concern.
Civilians are bearing the brunt of continued violence. Displacement affects 1 in 5 Central Africans: 680,000 are living as refugees in neighbouring countries and over 442,000 remain internally displaced. CAR also hosts more than 53,000 refugees, mostly from Sudan, DRC, and Chad.
The protection of vulnerable displaced people, including women, girls and children at risk of sexual violence or forced recruitment, continues to be an urgent need. Living conditions for the displaced, many of whom were forced to relocate multiple times, are also very difficult. The main challenges are accessing healthcare, food, safe water, shelter, and education.
People in CAR are facing food shortages due to high food prices and increased importation costs. According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), 2.2 million people are expected to reach crisis or emergency levels of food insecurity between April and August 2025.
CAR remains one of the most dangerous countries for humanitarian workers, with 145 security incidents in 2024 that directly affected them. The incident numbers in recent years fluctuate considerably by season but indicate an upward trend. In 2024, there was a significant increase in violence, up 7% in security incidents and 30% in terms of fatal victims.
How are we helping?
The EU’s humanitarian response focuses on covering the needs of the most affected populations through food assistance and livelihood support, agricultural support, education, healthcare, shelter, water, sanitation, and hygiene.
The crisis in CAR is above all a protection crisis. Consequently, all EU-funded humanitarian aid must contribute to the protection of the affected populations. Safeguards are put in place to prevent sexual and gender-based violence, while support and care for survivors of such violence and the creation of a protective and educational environment for children are prioritised.
Emergency relief is provided to internally displaced people, refugees and host communities who mostly rely on humanitarian assistance for their survival. Host communities are included since the prolonged stay of forcibly displaced people puts pressure on many local communities and their already limited resources.
EU humanitarian aid is often delivered in unstable and hard-to-reach areas and areas affected by floods. We support the humanitarian coordination, security and logistics of the aid operations. As reaching people in need is both difficult and dangerous due to widespread violence and poor infrastructure, the EU funds the UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS), which enables aid workers and assistance to reach places that are insecure and difficult to access. However, due to funding shortages, the number of flights has been reduced, which will limit access to vulnerable populations.
In 2025, the EU has allocated €19.7 million for humanitarian aid in the country, including €2.5 million in disaster preparedness actions. In 2024, the EU allocated €22.4 million.
The EU also provides humanitarian assistance to both host communities and Central African refugees in Cameroon, Chad, and the DRC.
Last updated: 28/05/2025
Facts & figures
2.4 million people in the CAR require humanitarian aid. (OCHA, Humanitarian Response Plan 2025)
Over 442,723 people are internally displaced. (UNHCR, February 2025)
680,000 Central Africans have taken refuge in neighbouring countries (UNHCR, February 2025), and
over 2 million people will face acute food insecurity from April to August 2025:
- IPC Phase 3 (Crisis): 1.8 million people
- IPC Phase 4 (Emergency): 431,000 people.
EU humanitarian funding:
€19.7 million in 2025, including €2.5 million in disaster preparedness
€22.4 million in 2024
More than €279 million since 2014