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Climate, Peace and Security Fact Sheet: Central African Republic (2024)

This Climate, Peace and Security Fact Sheet is focused on the Central African Republic and the series of conflict- and climate-related issues facing the country. The fact sheet offers a range of recommended actions for the international community to address these issues effectively.

The Central African Republic (CAR) is highly exposed to the impacts of climate change due to socioecological vulnerabilities and ongoing insecurity. Drivers of vulnerability include the absence of state authority, natural resource mismanagement, and low household and community resilience. Although the security situation has improved in recent years, it remains volatile; factions of the Coalition of Patriots for Change (CPC), self-defence groups and bandits regularly clash with government forces, allies and mercenaries such as the Wagner Group (now Africa Corps) in rural areas. A changing climate and the deteriorating security situation in the Sahel and the Great Lakes region have driven transhumant pastoralists further into CAR earlier in the transhumance season, creating tensions. Additionally, the spillover effects of the war in Sudan have put added pressure on the humanitarian situation in CAR, particularly in the Vakaga and Haute-Kotto prefectures.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR(S)/EDITORS

Ingvild Brodtkorb is a Junior Research Fellow at NUPI and works on Africa-Nordic Cooperation in the Research group for Peace, Conflict and Development.
Katongo Seyuba is a Research Assistant in the SIPRI Climate Change and Risk Programme.
Dr Thor Olav Iversen is a Senior Researcher in NUPI’s Climate, Peace and Security Risks Project. 
Kheira Tarif is a Researcher in the SIPRI Climate Change and Risk Programme.
Nadine Andersen is a Research Assistant in the SIPRI Climate Change and Risk Programme.
Dr Minoo Koefoed is a Senior Research Fellow in NUPI’s Climate, Peace and Security Risks Project. 
Jules Duhamel is an independent cartographer and geospatial analyst consultant.