Swiss boost aid to Central African Republic

The Central African Republic, a former French colony, has been hit by a series of conflicts over the past few years. Keystone/Adrienne Surprenant

The Swiss foreign ministry has opened a humanitarian office in the crisis-ridden Central African Republic.

The new presence in the capital, Bangui, is meant to encourage and improve international cooperation in one of the poorest countries in the world, according to the Swiss Agency for Development and CooperationExternal link (SDC).

Switzerland is among the top ten donor nations and contributed CHF9.4 million ($9.9 million) in humanitarian aid to the country last year.

The SDC provides funding to national and international NGOs active in the field and it has supported a local radio station, Ndeke Luka, through the Hirondelle foundation.

“As a neutral country, Switzerland aims to provide added value in the fields of humanitarian access, protection, international law and the humanitarian principles, justice and peacebuilding. It also seeks to encourage better interaction between humanitarian and development aid activities,” the SDC said.

An estimated 60% of the population in the region – about three million people – rely on humanitarian aid, according to the Swiss News Agency Keystone-SDA.

Until now, Swiss aid to the Central African Republic was coordinated by an office in neighbouring Cameroon.