UN Food Agency forced to curtail food aid in CAR without urgent influx of funding

The World Food Programme (WFP) on Thursday warned that without immediate funding, it will be forced to end its support to 150,000 people uprooted by violence in the Central African Republic (CAR), China's Xinhua news agency reported a United Nations (UN) spokesman as saying.

"Funding shortages have resulted in WFP only being able to help under half of the people it had aimed to reach, as well as supply only half the amount of food it had intended to provide," Farhan Haq, deputy UN spokesman, said at a daily news briefing here.

The UN agency urgently needs US$21.5 million to provide life-saving aid in the country through to next June.

"We remain concerned by the violence and numerous human rights violations committed by the armed group," Haq said.

Since January 2016, the UN Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) has conducted several human rights investigations in Koui and Bocaranga areas and reported on the violations.

"The mission confirmed the killings of 13 civilians, the rape of seven women and documented allegations of killings and rapes of more than 100 people," he said.

MINUSCA deployed peacekeepers to Koui to protect civilians while some civilians took refuge near the MINUSCA premises, he said.

"The Mission also helped organise several joint visits with the national authorities in June and December 2016 and has activated its nearby field offices and the community liaison network to engage with local population, leaders and NGOs (non governmental organisations) in order to improve protection efforts through proactive measures," he said. - Bernama