1 Central African Republic Country Profile
Central African Republic Country Profile
Generic country information can be located from sources which are regularly maintained and reflect current facts and figures.
For a generic country overview, please consult the following sources:
The Central African Republic is a landlocked country in Middle Africa, located in the area of northern Central Africa. It borders Chad in the north, Sudan in the northeast, South Sudan in the east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo in the south and Cameroon in the west.
|
Total population (2018) |
4,670,000 |
|---|---|
|
Gross national income per capita (PPP international $, 2012) |
1,080 |
|
Life expectancy at birth m/f (years, 2012) |
50/52 |
|
Probability of dying under five (per 1 000 live births, 2012) |
129 |
|
Probability of dying between 15 and 60 years m/f (per 1 000 population, 2012) |
445/430 |
|
Total expenditure on health per capita (Intl $, 2012) |
32 |
|
Total expenditure on health as % of GDP (2012) |
3.8 |
Source WHO (http://www.who.int/countries/caf/en/)
The succession of crises over the last 20 years has destroyed the resilience of the population, and any prospect of return of internally displaced persons and refugees is receding. The targeting of ethnic and religious minorities, including the most vulnerable such as women and children, has emerged as a modus operandi of armed groups, and cases of killings or attacks of a cross-community nature are increasing. While the analysis in 2016, suggested a reduction in the number of people in need, the security conditions in the country reversed the downward trend with an increase of 2.2 to 2.5 million of people in need for 2018.
Find the country in the generic links below:
Wikipedia Information on Central African Republic
IMF information on Central African Republic
Economist Intelligence Unit information on Central African Republic*
(*note - this is a paid service)
Humanitarian Info:
WFP Information on Central African Republic
UNOCHA Information on Central African Republic
Facts and Figures:
Wolfram Alpha information on Central African Republic
World Bank information on Central African Republic
World Population Revioew information on Central African Republic
1.1 Central African Republic Humanitarian Background
Disasters, Conflicts and Migration
|
Natural Disasters |
Yes / No |
Comments / Details |
|---|---|---|
|
Drought |
- |
- |
|
Earthquakes |
- |
- |
|
Epidemics |
Yes |
Malaria, Meningitus, Yellow Fever, Tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, Water-borne diseases and sanitation, Bird influenza (H5N1), Swine Influenza (AH1N1) |
|
Extreme Temperatures |
Yes |
During dry season – temperature can reach up to 48 degrees. |
|
Flooding |
Yes |
Heavy rains are common during the transition between the dry and rainy seasons the raining season. The Vakaga region is particularly subject to floods during this period and throughout the rainy season (June to December). |
|
Insect Infestation |
Yes |
This disaster is potential in the region of Bria, in the north-eastern part of the country. Vigilance is therefore recommended. |
|
Mudslides |
- |
- |
|
Volcanic Eruptions |
- |
- |
|
High Waves / Surges |
- |
- |
|
Wildfires |
Yes |
n/a |
|
High Winds |
Yes |
Sands’ wind: This usually happens in northern country during the transition between the wet and dry season. The sands are brought from the Sahara desert by the Harmattan. In terms of calamities, this period is prone to the meningitis. |
|
Other Comments |
|
|
|
Man-Made Issues |
||
|
Civil Strife |
Yes |
n/a |
|
International Conflict |
No |
n/a |
|
Internally Displaced Persons |
Yes |
n/a |
|
Refugees Present |
Yes |
n/a |
|
Landmines / UXO Present |
Yes | n/a |
|
Other Comments |
n/a | n/a |
For more detailed database on disasters by country, please see
the Centre for Research on Epidemiology of Disasters:
EMDAT Website
information on disasters
Calamities and Seasonal Affects
|
Seasonal Affects on Transport |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Transport |
Comments |
From (month) to (month) |
|
Primary Road Transport |
Here we consider primary transport the main corridor from Cameroon (Garoua-Boulai) border to Bangui. During the rainy season, this 567 km paved road is practicable. |
Jun-Dec |
|
Secondary Road Transport |
Here we consider secondary road, road from Bangui to major prefectures in the country. It should be mentioned most of the roads in the CAR are not paved, many bridges are made of wooden materials and some rivers has to be crossed with river ferry. Rain barriers are not anymore installed on secondary road during rainy season, which will considerably damage roads with vehicles traffic. The transport along the Douala corridor is also affected by the rainy season, especially for the unpaved stretch between Yaoundé and Bertoua via the town of Mbandjock. Some prefecture on the CAR are not accessible during the rainy season (Birao, Tiringoulou) where others are very difficult to reach (Ndele, Zemio, Obo, Rafai) due to very poor road conditions. |
Jun-Dec |
|
Rail Transport |
Rail transport is only in use in Cameroon until Bertoua, 250 km from the CAR border. |
n/a |
|
Air Transport |
Air traffic is very limited in the Central African Republic. Nonetheless, there can be disruption of the traffic during the rainy season due to worse weather conditions. As result, landing and take-off are sometimes delayed until the end of the rain. |
Jun-Dec |
|
Waterway Transport |
The river corridor along the Ubangui is a major supply route to the Central African Republic (barge) only operational during the rainy season. |
Jun-Dec |
|
Seasonal Affects on Storage and Handling (economic, social, climate…) |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Activity |
Comments |
From <month> to <month> |
|
Storage |
n/a |
n/a |
|
Handling |
The rainy season affects commodity handling at the river port, as there is no appropriate equipment to handle cargo when it rains. It is thus advisable to have the cargo containerized. Being the main port of entry for cargo destined to the Central African Republic, the port of Douala is unfortunately affected by the rainy season. Vessels’ discharge and trucks’ loading can be stopped for many hours. Finally, overland transporters should be reminded to ensure that their tarpaulins are in good order during the wet season in Cameroon (June – November). Substantial losses have occurred in the past due to poor tarpaulins. |
Jun-Dec |
|
Other |
n/a | n/a |
Capacity and Contacts for In-Country Emergency Response
Government
For information on Central African Republic Government contact details, please see the following link:
4.1 Central African Republic Government Contact List
Humanitarian Community
The conflict throughout much of Central African Republic (CAR) continues to disrupt relief operations. As of 2018, an estimated 2.5 million people in CAR require humanitarian assistance, while more than 573,000 people have fled to neighboring countries. The security situation throughout CAR remains volatile, with continuing attacks against civilians, humanitarian workers, and UN peacekeeping forces.
For information on Cantral African Republic Humanitarian Agency contact details and additional information, please see the following links:
4.2 Central African Republic Humanitarian Agency Contact List
1.2 Central African Republic Customs Information
CCO RCA - Guide des Formalités de Dédouanement de Biens en RCA
EXTRAIT CEMAC - Exonerations douanieres
Extrait de l'article 241
du code de douanes de la CEMAC
Duties and Tax Exemption
For contact information regarding government custom authorities, please follow the link below:
4.1 Central African Republic Government Contact List
As per the agreement with the Central African Republic Government, WFP food importations are exempt from customs duties and other related taxes. In order to benefit from the above tax exemption, WFP should follow the procedure:
Emergency Response:
[Note: This section contains information which is related and applicable to 'crisis' times. These instruments can be applied when an emergency is officially declared by the Government. When this occurs, there is usually a streamlined process to import goods duty and tax free.]
|
Agreements / Conventions Description |
Ratified by Country? (Yes / No) |
|---|---|
|
WCO (World Customs Organization) member |
Yes |
|
Annex J-5 Revised Kyoto Convention |
n/a |
|
OCHA Model Agreement |
Yes |
|
Tampere Convention (on the Provision of Telecommunication Resources for Disaster Mitigation and Relief Operations) |
Yes |
|
Regional Agreements (on emergency/disaster response, but also customs unions, regional integration) |
Yes |
Customs Clearance
- The Central African Customs Office in Douala
In order to improve the collection of customs related taxes, the
Central African Government opened a customs office branch in
Douala, as over 80% of the country’s international trade transits
through this port.
Cargo imported through the port of Douala should be customs-cleared
and taxes paid at Port level. Once in the Central African
territory, only inspections should be done to avoid eventual fraud,
as a substitution of cargo during the voyage. Unfortunately, this
is not the case, as many merchants are complaining that they have
to pay same fees again or additional taxes in Bangui.
- The ‘Feuille de route’
For goods, which are not cleared at the port of Douala (some UN
[KG1] consignments, goods purchased in
neighbouring countries), customs clearance should normally be done
at the border entry point.
However, the importer may want to clear the goods only in Bangui.
In such case, a waybill (‘feuille de route’) is issued with
information on the quantity, quality and value of the goods. This
document should be stamped at various checkpoints along the
corridor up to Bangui where the goods will be finally customs
cleared.
- Bureau d’Affrètement Routier Centrafricain (BARC)
The Bureau d’Affrètement Routier Centrafricain (BARC) watches over the strict respect of the quota of cargo between Cameroonian and Central African transporters. It should be mentioned that as per an agreement with the two countries, 60% of cargo in transit at Douala Port to the Central African Republic should be transported on Central African trucks, whereas the remaining 40% should be transported on Cameroonian trucks.
- BARC charges
In addition to customs duties and related taxes, there is a specific fee to be paid to the BARC, which is 6% of the freight (transport cost). It should be mentioned that UN agencies are not exempt from these fees.
- UN agencies
In order to benefit from the above tax exemption, UN agencies should follow the procedure described hereafter:
Early transmission to the clearing agent of all cargo related documents and the certificate of tax exemption
- Cargo related documents
Prior to the arrival of the cargo (trucks from Douala or direct importation by air), UN agencies must transmit all cargo related documents to their clearing agent. The documentation includes: the commercial invoices or certificate of value, the bill of lading (for cargo transiting through the port of Douala) or the airway bill (for cargo imported by air) and the donation certificate. For food cargo only, additional documents are the phytosanitary certificates and, if available, a non-radiation or non-GMO certificate.
- Certificate of tax exemption
In order to be exempt from customs duties and related taxes, UN agencies must imperatively submit a request for tax exemption. It should be mentioned that UN agencies do not benefit from a permanent and general tax exemption. Therefore, a request must be submitted for each consignment (bill of lading or airway bill) imported. To this effect, UN agencies must fill in and sign a special administrative form (F2 for food and ICT equipment, F3 for fuel, etc.).
Depending on the allocation of the cargo, the request for tax exemption is sent either (directly) to the customs (this is the case when the cargo is destined to the project, such as food) or to the Ministry of External Relations (MOFA), who will then transmit it to the Customs (this is the case when the cargo is not destined to the project but to be used by UN agencies as an asset/equipment: vehicles, V-SAT equipment, computers etc.).
It should be recalled that UN agencies or its forwarder must provide the following information in the request:
The reference of the agreement with the government on the basis of which the exemption from taxes is requested.
The amount of tax which should have been paid as per the common procedure, so as to estimate the loss for the government.
Early transmission to the clearing agent
It should be mentioned that the clearing agent cannot commence/finalize the clearance process without the attestation of tax exemption delivered by the customs. Therefore, UN agencies should ensure that this document is obtained as early as possible.
Normally the tax exemption is granted within 72 hours from the submission of the request. The clearing agent should therefore receive all the above documents (cargo related documentation and certificate of tax exemption) at least 8 days before the expected time of arrival of the cargo in order to have sufficient time to clear the goods.
Clearance of the cargo at the customs
The clearing agent must commence the customs clearance process as soon as he has all the documents listed above (cargo related documents and the tax exemption certificate). He should raise a customs declaration for home use. As mentioned above, WFP (and other UN agencies) is exempt from customs duties, the value-added tax and other customs related taxes. However, the below taxes are due for the following articles:
- Computer equipment tax (0.5% of the CAF value) for the importation of equipment (computers, V-SAT, etc.)
- CMF tax (0.1% of the CAF value) for the importation of vehicles.
Where applicable, once the different taxes have been paid, the Delivery Note (‘Bon à enlever’) is stamped on the customs declaration to certify the completion of the clearing process. Therefore, the goods can be retrieved.
Direct retrieval (‘enlèvement direct’)
In case of high/urgent need of the cargo, the clearing agent can initiate a special procedure in order to retrieve the cargo from the customs before the clearing process is finalised. If the authorisation for direct retrieval of goods is granted, it is generally with strict conditions about the early regularisation of the declaration. To this effect, the Customs will clearly define a deadline when all the regularizing documents should be submitted.
Note: It should be mentioned that UN agencies are exempt from the verification of importation at load port and should not raise a declaration of commercial importation in order to import goods/food in the Central African Republic.
Customs clearance at Douala port for cargo in transit to the Central African Republic
About 80% of cargo imported into the Central African Republic transits through the port of Douala. Being in transit, these cargoes are exempt from customs duties and related taxes (value added tax) applicable to importation for home use in Cameroon. However, the proof that the goods actually arrive in the Central African Republic must be submitted to the Cameroon Customs in order to close the file. Since huge financial sanctions can be incurred, it is hereby advised to refer preferably to clearing agents having a representation both in Douala and the Central African Republic in case of cargo imported through this port.