Urgent UN appeal amid Central African Republic food crisis

2013-12-31 89

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) says it urgently needs donations to feed the hungry in the Central African Republic (CAR).

The WFP is aiming to deliver food aid to up to 1.25 million people over the next eight months. But the aid organisation warns that without more donations it will not have enough food to help everyone it wants to reach in January.

Violent clashes between Muslim and Christian militia groups erupted in CAR early this month. At least 1,000 people have been killed and hundreds of thousands displaced in the capital Bangui alone.

There are reports of children becoming increasingly involved in the conflict – both as fighters and as targets for revenge attacks.

The EU Commissioner for humanitarian aid Kristalina Georgieva has called for more international action to prevent what she called an “appalling tragedy” from “spiraling further out of control”.