Armed conflict in the north and south of the country, frequent population displacement and poor agricultural production are driving 1.92 million people (29 percent of the analysed population) into high levels of acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or above) between September 2025 and March 2026. This includes 269,000 people facing IPC Phase 4 (Emergency) conditions and nearly 1.66 million people experiencing IPC Phase 3 (Crisis) levels.
The most affected households are farmers whose agricultural production and carryover stocks remain low, as well as internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees who live in host communities with limited resources.
Ongoing conflict and high food prices are expected to exacerbate the situation in the lean season (April to August 2026) with around 2.29 million people (35 percent of the analysed population) projected to face high levels of acute food insecurity. This includes 400,000 people likely to be in Phase 4 and more than 1.9 million people likely to be in Phase 3.

More than 228,400 children aged 6 to 59 months are suffering or expected to suffer acute malnutrition between March 2025 and February 2026, including 61,500 children suffering severe acute malnutrition (SAM). This marks a 30 percent increase compared to the same period in 2023. In the current period (March to August 2025), the sub-prefectures of Bamingui, Ndélé, Amdafoc, Birao, and Ouandja-Djallé are classified in IPC AMN Phase 4 (Critical), while the remaining 71 analysed sub-prefectures are in IPC AMN Phase 2 (Alert).

Approximately 2.2 million people—or one in three people—are facing high levels of acute food insecurity between April and August 2025, including 481,000 people facing critical levels of acute food insecurity, IPC Phase 4 (Emergency), and 1.74 million people experiencing crisis levels of acute food insecurity, classified in IPC Phase 3 (Crisis). The situation is driven by conflict and insecurity, poor agricultural production and economic shocks. Armed violence and civil unrest continue to displace populations—over 443,000 people are currently displaced—and limit access to farmland, especially in the southeast, northeast, and northwest.