Central African Republic
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The Central African Republic's Response to the Sudan Crisis
The conflict in Sudan has affected South Darfur, which borders the remote northern Vakaga prefecture of the Central African Republic (CAR). As of 23 March 2025, a total of 42,084 individuals have fled from Sudan into CAR, including 35,724 refugees and 6,360 refugee returnees. The Government of CAR has kept its borders open to Sudanese refugees throughout the conflict. On 19 August 2023, it granted prima facie refugee status (automatic recognition of refugee status based on readily apparent, objective circumstances in the country of origin, without individual assessments) to Sudanese nationals fleeing violence. Based on current trends, UNHCR anticipates that up to 45,000 refugees total, and 1,500 additional refugee returnees will cross into CAR by December 2025.
The government has adopted an out of camp policy, which includes the establishment of refugee settlements within existing towns and villages, as well as the effective inclusion of refugees in the national health and education systems. Most refugees from Sudan are women and children, arriving with few resources after enduring violence in their places of origin as well as during their journey. They mainly cross through the Am-Dafock border and proceed to Birao, some 65 km away, where the Korsi (which means “welcome”) refugee settlement has been established. Korsi is located in the Vakaga prefecture, one of the poorest, most remote and sparsely populated areas of the country, which is also plagued by insecurity.
One of the 20 prefectures of CAR, Vakaga covers an area of 46,500 km² and had a population of 52,255 according to the 2003 census. Its capital, Birao, hosts 18,176 of the 30,729 Sudanese refugees registered in CAR. Korsi is a neighbourhood close to essential infrastructure, including schools, hospitals, and the base of the UN peacekeeping mission in CAR. Additionally, about 1,123 internally displaced persons (IDPs) affected by conflict in 2019 are present in three nearby sites.
Some 12,553 refugees are scattered in other regions, in hard-to-reach areas where only protection, registration and documentation are provided due to the complex security environment and logistics challenges. These refugees are mainly “sur place” refugees – those who were in CAR when the war in Sudan intensified and are now unable to return. They are among the most vulnerable and peaceful coexistence and adapted self-reliance programmes are paramount to support them.
Socioeconomic Characteristics of Displacement & National Poverty Assessment
Based on UNHCR registration records, the proportion of Sudan refugees skilled labourers fleeing to CAR increased dramatically from 34% to 53% after the emergence of the conflict in April 2023. Similarly, the percentage of skilled labourers increased slightly from 51% in 2023 to 55% between 2023 and 2024. This indicates a steady rise in skilled labour among refugees, potentially because this group is more likely to secure employment in the host country, CAR, or because they are more inclined to leave Sudan during crises.
Sudanese refugees arriving to CAR since 2023 have a variety of educational backgrounds, with 18% at the primary level, 6% at the lower and upper secondary level, 1% at the university level, as well as 8% with informal education through traditional Koranic schools. Nonetheless, about two-thirds of refugees arriving to CAR since the crisis had had no education in Sudan.
CAR has one of the highest poverty rates in the world and faces its own significant development challenges, as well as conflict and displacement dynamics. Poverty stands at 68% nationally, with many IDPs in camps (World Bank 2023).
While agriculture is by far the most common activity, households involved in agriculture face significant limits on productivity and more must be done to improve access to markets and inputs for the sector to be a stable basis for self-reliance. At the same time, access to basic infrastructure – including water and sanitation, schools, medical services, and roads – remains a significant challenge for most households. This is particularly true in the regions bordering Sudan, where the share of children within a one-hour walk to school is only 20%.
The overarching goal is to advance the inclusion of refugees into national systems. Although government presence in Vakaga is limited and the arrival of refugees has increased the pressure on already strained basic services, there are several opportunities to integrate refugees into local systems, particularly in the sectors of health and education.
Water & Sanitation
Priority interventions include the expansion of the water network to ensure that all residents have access to clean and safe drinking water. This includes the installation of additional equipped boreholes to meet the growing water needs of the community. Investments are also needed to ensure the provision of a family latrine for every household to improve sanitation and reduce the spread of diseases.
Health
Sudanese refugees are included in the national public health system and the Health Ministry response plans and strategies, particularly in the Vakaga region. The Government has integrated refugees into several free health care projects, notably the SENI PLUS project. Supported by the World Bank, this initiative aims to restore and protect essential health services, ensuring that refugees have access to healthcare under the same conditions as the host community. The SENI PLUS project relies on community health interventions to guarantee free health care for children aged 0-5 years, pregnant and or lactating women. It also supports routine immunisation activities, child deworming and prevention of anaemia through the administration of vitamin A.
To further support these efforts, development financing can help address the significant shortfalls in the quality of health infrastructure and equipment; human resources, both in terms of quality and quantity; and the availability of medical supplies, including medicines and medical consumables.
Education
Sudanese refugees are included in the national education system. With the onset of the crisis, school enrolments have seen a dramatic rise. At the start of the school year in October 2023, there were 230 Sudanese refugees attending only two schools in the Vakaga prefecture. By the end of the academic year in 2024, there were a total of 1,712 Sudanese refugees enrolled in ten schools in the formal education system at the primary and secondary level across the country, including 933 refugees in the Vakaga prefecture and 779 refugees in three other prefectures. There are still thousands of out-of-school refugees, returnees, and host-community children in refugee-hosting zones.
To ensure the sustainable integration of refugees in the national education system, further investments are critical to support the Ministry of Education to ensure improved access and quality of education for all children. Infrastructure is one priority investment. Across the five prefectures and fifteen schools which could integrate Sudanese refugees, a total of 180 durable classrooms need to be built to accommodate the integration of close to 9,000 school-age Sudanese refugee children alongside the existing enrolments of nearly 10,000 host-community children. Additional needs also include more water and sanitation facilities, qualifying training and integration for refugee teachers, French language classes, and more textbooks and other learning materials.
Durable Housing
The shelter strategy, tailored to the Birao context and emphasizing community participation, looks at providing homes and not “shelters”. The cost of a 24 square meter shelter is approximately 2000 USD. The goal is to replace all emergency shelters in Korsi with semi-durable shelters by building 3776 houses and an equal number of latrines as of 2025. The target population includes all refugee households, as well as 20% of IDPs, returnees and the host community.
Road Infrastructure
Advocacy efforts are underway with MINUSCA to rehabilitate the main access road to Korsi. This rehabilitation is crucial for improving accessibility and facilitating the movement of goods and people in the region. UNHCR will support the UN peacekeeping mission by providing fuel and manpower for the operation.
Energy
To improve safety and accessibility, investments are needed in solar streetlights in public spaces and along roads within Korsi. Solar lighting is a sustainable and cost-effective solution that will provide reliable illumination, and enhance security, especially during nighttime.
Ongoing Development Partner Interventions
Emergency and Support Project for the Stabilization and Recovery of Refugees and Host Communities in the Lake Chad Basin (PASRRC-RCA)
Partner: UNDP | Budget: USD 1.2 M
Sectors: (1) Improvement of inclusive access to basic social services; (2) Strengthening socio-economic resilience through livelihoods, adaptation to climate change and private sector mobilization; (3) Support for institutional and technical capacity building and project management.
Location: Vakaga | Duration: 1 year
Implementing entities: Private sector, NGOs, Local authorities
Agricultural activities for refugees and host community
Partner: FAO | Budget: USD 500,000
Sectors: Agriculture & Community empowerment
Location: Vakaga | Duration: 1 year
Implementing entities: Local NGOs, Ministry of Agriculture, UNHCR
Documents Library - Central African Republic
Contacts
UNHCR: Gloria Ramazani, External Relations Officer ([email protected])
