Central African Republic: Vote on MINUSCA’s Mandate Renewal*
Tomorrow afternoon (13 November), the Security Council is expected to vote on a draft resolution renewing the mandate of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) for another year, until 15 November 2026.
The mandate renewal negotiations, which took place against the backdrop of the UN’s ongoing liquidity crisis, appear to have been more contentious than last year’s negotiations. France, the penholder on the Central African Republic (CAR), circulated an initial draft of the text to Council members on 29 October and convened two rounds of negotiations, on 31 October and 5 November. Additionally, France convened a meeting with the UN Secretariat on 3 November for Council members to receive a briefing on the contingency plan being implemented across UN peace operations as a result of the UN’s liquidity crisis and its effects on MINUSCA. The meeting was also meant to help Council members better understand how MINUSCA was planning to implement the contingency plan.
The penholder placed a revised text under silence procedure until the morning of 7 November, but China broke silence, apparently upon the CAR’s request, propsing an edit on an operative paragraph related to a quota for women’s representation in all the CAR’s decision-making bodies, and the US followed by sending additional comments on several issues in the draft text. The penholder then made further revisions to the text and placed it under a second silence procedure until yesterday morning (11 November). The silence period was apparently extended until 12:30 pm at Russia’s request but the US broke silence over the issue of the mission’s troop ceiling. Russia then followed with a comment on language related to the disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR) process. The penholder made further amendments to the draft text to address some of these concerns and put the draft into blue this afternoon (12 November) with no further silence period.
Background
At the Council’s last meeting on the CAR, held on 28 October, several Council members described MINUSCA as a success story. These members highlighted the mission’s work in supporting the CAR government in expanding state authority and deploying its forces to remote places to protect civilians as well as its assistance to the organisation of presidential, legislative, and local elections scheduled to be held on 28 December, which mark a critical milestone in consolidating peace in the country.
At the same time, Council members recognised that the country’s security situation remains fragile despite recent progress, including the decision by two armed groups to join the peace process. They expressed particular concern about the spillover effects of the civil war in Sudan, which is increasing the cross-border flow of armed groups and weapons into the CAR as well as the smuggling of minerals. (For more information, see our 27 October What’s in Blue story.)
A major concern raised by Council members at that meeting was the UN’s liquidity crisis, which has already affected MINUSCA, with the implementation of a 15 percent reduction of its expenditure potentially forcing a reduction of its personnel. Several members cautioned against the impact of these cuts, including in undercutting the mission’s ability to fulfil its mandated tasks and reversing the security gains achieved in the country. In particular, Russia argued that “key mandated tasks of MINUSCA should not fall hostage to the positions of certain UN Security Council members and the Secretariat’s response to measures to streamline financial support for peacekeeping operations”. This was an apparent reference to the US, which maintained that peacekeeping missions should not become permanently entrenched in a country. The US further emphasised that, in light of the continued progress in the CAR, there is a need for MINUSCA to work with the authorities in Bangui to gradually start handing over its responsibilities.
In keeping with previous practice, France dispatched a delegation to Bangui to consult with the CAR authorities ahead of the negotiations. On 11 October, CAR President Faustin-Archange Touadéra sent a letter to the Security Council outlining his government’s position on the mandate renewal. Touadéra expressed deep concern over the budgetary constraints affecting MINUSCA’s operational capacity and warned that these limitations could have serious security, humanitarian, and political consequences, not only for the CAR but also for the wider region. He further underscored MINUSCA’s central role in supporting the implementation of the 2019 Political Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation in the CAR (APPR-RCA, by its French acronym), the organisation of the combined elections scheduled for December, and the expansion of state authority across the country. He therefore called for a renewed political consensus within the Security Council on MINUSCA’s mandate and its ceiling of authorised personnel, along with adequate funding to sustain the country’s recent political and security gains. In particular, he advocated maintaining MINUSCA’s key components, including civilian protection units, logistical and aerial assets, and the technical capacities essential for electoral and institutional support.
Negotiations on the Draft Resolution
The penholder circulated an initial draft text that extended the mission’s mandate for one year and retained the mission’s priority tasks, as most recently outlined in resolution 2759 of 14 November 2024. However, the US apparently made strong demands at the outset of the negotiations. Its primary concern related to the duration of the mandate renewal, with the US proposing a six-month extension, while all other Council members supported a one-year renewal in line with the Secretary-General’s recommendation in his most recent report on MINUSCA, dated 10 October. Ultimately, the US appears to have accepted the one-year extension, which is reflected in the draft resolution in blue.
While the initial draft text retained the existing troop ceiling of 14,400 military personnel and 3,020 police personnel, in line with the recommendation contained in the Secretary-General’s report, the US called for a reduction in the troop ceiling—its second major demand. This was opposed by all other Council members, who apparently argued that the mission is already facing constraints due to the UN’s liquidity crisis and ongoing budget cuts, and that a further reduction would have little operational impact on the ground. They also emphasised that such a move could send the wrong signal to both the CAR government and the armed groups operating in the country. In an apparent compromise, the penholder included language expressing the Council’s “firm intention to review the number of personnel following the successful completion of the electoral process scheduled in 2025 and 2026”. The US nonetheless broke silence, insisting on a reduction of the troop ceiling. Eventually, the penholder tried to accommodate the US by changing the ceiling outlined in the draft resolution in blue to reflect the current level of deployment on the ground, which stands at 14,046 military personnel and 2,999 police personnel.
It seems that the US also sought to include language on benchmarks and transition planning. It ultimately apparently abandoned this demand but emphasised the need to begin discussions with the CAR authorities on the eventual handover of tasks, consistent with its statement at the 28 October meeting. Specifically, the US proposed including a sunset clause for the mission’s electoral assistance division following the completion of the elections in June 2026 and requested that the Secretary-General conduct a strategic review to make the necessary recommendations. However, other Council members referred to the 2024 MINUSCA strategic review and contended that what is now required is not another review, but a concrete plan to guide the process of the mission’s handover of tasks.
Accordingly, the draft text in blue requests the Secretary-General to provide the Council with a report, prepared in consultation with MINUSCA and the CAR government, on the opportunity and feasibility of an eventual handover of tasks to the CAR government or the UN Country Team (UNCT), as well as on MINUSCA’s plans to expeditiously conclude the work of its electoral division following the completion of the electoral processes. It seems that the timing of this report became a point of contention: the US proposed that it be submitted immediately after the conclusion of the electoral process in June 2026, while other Council members argued that this would not be practical and instead recommended submission prior to the mission’s next mandate renewal in November 2026. As a compromise, the draft text in blue requests the Secretary-General to submit the report by 15 September 2026.
It seems that the CAR worked closely with some Council members, such as China and Russia. China apparently broke silence at the CAR’s request to ensure acknowledgment of the government’s efforts to implement the law establishing a minimum quota of 35 percent for women’s representation in all the CAR’s decision-making bodies, which is now reflected in the text in blue. Russia’s comments focused on alleged recruitment of disarmed fighters outside the national DDR process. Russia apparently maintained that there is only one comprehensive DDR process under the leadership of the CAR government and sought to amend the text accordingly. The draft resolution in blue refers to the reported recruitment of disarmed fighters but removed a previously included reference to activities “outside of the national DDR process”.
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Post-script: On 13 November, the Security Council adopted resolution 2800, extending the mandate of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) for one year, until 15 November 2026, with 14 votes in favour and one abstention (the US). In its explanation of vote, the US expressed reservations about the one-year extension, noting its preference for a six-month renewal that would use the national elections as a key milestone for adjusting the mission’s mandate. It also expressed a preference for a larger reduction in troop levels in light of progress made in the Central African Republic (CAR) and emphasised the need to establish a more realistic budget in the context of ongoing reform efforts and the UN liquidity crisis.