Central African Republic: Briefing and Consultations
Tomorrow morning (20 February), the Security Council will hold an open briefing and closed consultations on the situation in the Central African Republic (CAR). Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the CAR and Head of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) Valentine Rugwabiza is expected to brief on the Secretary-General’s report on MINUSCA, which was circulated to Council members on 14 February and covers developments since 11 October 2024 (S/2025/97). The CAR is expected to participate in the meeting under rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure.
Council members are apparently keen to receive an update from Rugwabiza on the local, legislative, and presidential elections scheduled for this year, which have dominated the political landscape in the CAR. Local elections, expected to be held for the first time in four decades, have faced repeated delays due to a budget shortfall, with the new election date now set for 13 July. According to the Secretary-General’s report, $19 million is needed to organise the local elections, of which $12 million is managed by a basket fund administered by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and $7 million by the National Electoral Authority. As at 1 February, the CAR government, the European Union (EU), MINUSCA, and other international partners have contributed $7.1 million to the UNDP-administered basket fund, while an additional $1.2 million is pending disbursement and half a million dollars have been pledged.
Rugwabiza is likely to describe the preparations for the local elections, including the first phase of voter registration, which took place between November and December 2024 across 11 prefectures. The second phase, initially scheduled for January but postponed due to financial and operational challenges, is now expected to begin in March in the remaining nine prefectures. Rugwabiza may highlight MINUSCA’s intensified patrols across different prefectures, which have helped provide secure conditions for voter registration and promote the participation of women, youth, internally displaced persons (IDPs) and returnees in this process. She might also refer to the decision by some opposition parties not to participate in the elections because of their distrust of the electoral process. Other opposition parties, which might be interested in engaging in dialogue with the government, nonetheless also continue to express concerns about the shrinking political and civic space in the country.
Another expected focus of tomorrow’s meeting is the implementation of the Political Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation in the CAR (APPR-RCA in its French acronym), which marked its sixth anniversary on 6 February. Rugwabiza may describe the progress and challenges in implementing the peace agreement. She might note, in this regard, continued efforts to decentralise the peace process through the involvement of local level mechanisms that are holding regular meetings to implement the APPR-RCA. Rugwabiza may refer to MINUSCA’s support of efforts by the CAR government to advance the disarmament, demobilisation, reintegration and repatriation (DDRR) of former combatants and the implementation of security sector reform (SSR). Nonetheless, she might also mention the decision by some signatory armed groups to resume hostilities, which poses serious challenges to the implementation of the peace agreement.
The Secretary-General’s report notes that the security situation remains volatile in the northeast, east, and centre of the country. It says that armed confrontations have been concentrated around mining sites and transhumance corridors. The CAR continues to suffer from the impact of the war in neighbouring Sudan, with increasing armed group movements along the tri-border area between the CAR, Chad, and Sudan. According to the Secretary-General’s report, the CAR currently hosts more than 54,000 refugees, most of whom are from Sudan. Armed groups continue to target civilians, including minority communities and Sudanese asylum seekers. The report notes that the situation is further compounded by the movement of herders across the border area, which has increased intercommunal tensions. Tomorrow, Rugwabiza may highlight the CAR government’s efforts to improve border management and refer to the 17 January inauguration of a border post in Bembéré, a village on the border with Chad, which was constructed with MINUSCA’s assistance. She might also update Council members about MINUSCA’s continued efforts to support the extension of state authority in conflict-affected areas based on its mandated tasks.
The human rights situation in the CAR remains a significant concern for several Council members, although it continues to be a divisive issue within the Council. The period covered by the Secretary-General’s report saw an 18 percent increase in human rights violations and abuses, including severe violations against children and conflict-related sexual violence, with the number of victims rising by 26 percent compared with the previous reporting period. Some Council members that are focused on the need to promote accountability and justice may highlight the work of the Special Criminal Court (SCC). This hybrid court, operational since 2018, is composed of both domestic and international judges and is tasked with investigating, prosecuting, and judging the most serious crimes committed in the CAR. In December 2024, the SCC convicted and sentenced four defendants to prison terms of 15 and 20 years for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in 2020 in Ndélé, the capital of the Bamingui-Bangoran prefecture. The court has also opened another case involving seven defendants charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed in Ndélé and its surrounding areas in 2020.
Another issue of interest for Council members is the lifting of the suspension of diamond exports from the CAR. After 11 years, the Kimberley Process—a multilateral trade regime established in 2003 to prevent the flow of conflict diamonds—lifted its suspension of diamond exports from the CAR on 15 November 2024. This decision followed a visit by a Kimberley Process monitoring team to the CAR between 9 and 15 September 2024 at the request of the CAR government. During the visit, the monitoring team assessed the security situation and the mechanisms put in place in accordance with the Kimberley Process. The CAR government has been calling for the lifting of the suspension and welcomed the decision, which was announced during the Kimberley Process plenary meeting held in Dubai between 12 and 14 November 2024. Others, including some member states and other actors in the industry, appear to have some reservations about the decision, considering the ongoing competition by armed groups for control over gold and diamond mining sites.
In November 2024, the Security Council extended MINUSCA’s mandate by unanimously adopting resolution 2759 of 13 November 2024, marking the mission’s first unanimous renewal in four years. At tomorrow’s meeting, Rugwabiza may inform Council members about discussions that MINUSCA held with the CAR authorities in December 2024 on the implementation of the mission’s mandate. Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix also visited the CAR between 16 and 20 December 2024. During his visit, he met with the CAR authorities (including President Faustin-Archange Touadéra and Prime Minister Félix Moloua), other national and local authorities, representatives of political parties, and members of civil society. His discussions with the CAR authorities were largely focused on the implementation of MINUSCA’s mandate. Lacroix also visited Bambari, the capital of the Ouaka prefecture, to assess the situation on the ground. In a press briefing at the conclusion of his visit, Lacroix acknowledged the encouraging progress in the CAR, including the expansion of state authority to conflict-affected areas, despite the many challenges that remain. At tomorrow’s meeting, Council members may reference the 11 February killing of a Tunisian peacekeeper as an example of the challenges faced by MINUSCA. The peacekeeper was taking part in a MINUSCA patrol near the village of Zobassinda in the Bamingui-Bangoran prefecture, which came under attack by “an unidentified armed assailant”, according to a UN statement.
