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CAR

Report of the Secretary-General on the Central African Republic (S/2017/473)

Attachments

I. Introduction

1. The present report is submitted pursuant to Security Council resolution 2301 (2016), by which the Council renewed the mandate of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) until 15 November 2017 and requested me to report to the Council by 1 October 2016 and every four months thereafter. The report provides an update on major developments in the Central African Republic and the implementation of the mandate of MINUSCA since the issuance of my previous report (S/2017/94) on 1 February 2017.

II. Major developments

A. Political situation

2. The period under review was marked by uneven progress in the political process. Intensified clashes between armed groups in central and eastern prefectures marred peace and recovery efforts, causing a deterioration of the humanitarian situation. In contrast, a period of sustained calm in Bangui created the conditions for key institutions to address the multiple stabilization and recovery challenges. The presence of armed groups was also successfully reduced in Bambari thanks to the robust posture of MINUSCA, enabling initial steps to restore State authority and basic services in the country’s second most important town. This created an environment in which all of the 14 main armed groups participated, for the first time since the Bangui Forum on National Reconciliation, in 2015, in a dialogue with the Government at the fourth meeting of the Consultative Follow-up Committee on Disarmament, Demobilization, Reintegration and Repatriation. Meanwhile, while progress was made towards establishing constitutionally mandated institutions, political competition increased, in particular between the executive and legislative branches of government. Some progress was recorded through the initial disbursement of funds committed at the Brussels Conference for the Central African Republic, held on 17 November 2016, but more will be required to deliver highly anticipated peace dividends to the population and catalyse the implementation of the National Recovery and Peacebuilding Plan.

3. Intense fighting continued among ex-Séléka groups over control of lucrative swathes of territory in the central and eastern prefectures. The violence essentially pitted the Unité pour la paix en centrafrique (UPC) against a coalition led by the Front populaire pour la renaissance de la Centrafrique (FPRC), uniting some ex-Séléka factions and self-defence groups loosely referred to as anti-balaka. The continued conflict between the FPRC coalition and UPC led to repeated attacks on the Fulani population over its perceived affiliation with UPC. The attacks are also driven by attempts to seize their resources (cattle, in particular). Anti-balaka aligned with the FPRC coalition also targeted Muslim communities in the south and east. This pattern of violence coincides with an increase in cattle migrating into the eastern Central African Republic, generating friction between local farmers and herders and Fulani herders or armed militia, causing animosity towards the Muslim community. In this environment, the targeted killing of Muslims in Bangassou on 13 and 14 May sparked reprisals in Bria from ex-Séléka members against anti-Balaka elements of the FPRC coalition, demonstrating the fractured and opportunistic nature of the FPRC coalition, as well as the risk that armed elements may be easily manipulated by spoilers acting for self-serving reasons.

4. In a context of continued violence, the Government convened the fourth Consultative Follow-up Committee on Disarmament, Demobilization, Reintegration and Repatriation on 20 and 21 April. Following robust action by MINUSCA in February, FPRC and Maxime Mokom’s anti-balaka group decided to designate representatives to the Committee, with the result that all 14 main armed groups attended the meeting. During the proceedings, the President, Faustin Archange Touadera, called for an immediate ceasefire and a broad dialogue under his auspices on political issues and confirmed that he had accepted the offer of the African Initiative for Peace and Reconciliation to support this dialogue.

5. Several initiatives to support the peace process continued, including the African Initiative, led by the African Union, the Economic Community of Central African States and the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region, with the support of Angola, Chad and the Republic of the Congo. For its part, the Community of Sant’Egidio convened closed-door sessions with representatives of some of the armed groups in February and March in support of peace. In this context, many members of the National Assembly and civil society representatives took public stands against amnesty for individuals who have committed serious crimes and human rights violations. On 13 April, the President of the National Assembly, Karim Meckassoua, announced that the Assembly would launch its own peace initiative, which he later clarified would be in support of the Government’s efforts.

6. President Touadera marked one year in office on 30 March with an address to the nation that highlighted his Government’s progress, including the establishment of six institutions required by the Constitution such as the Constitutional Court, progress towards operationalizing the Special Criminal Court, and the continued deployment of civil servants to the prefectures. The President visited Bossangoa and Obo, and Bambari twice, first in March with the Vice-President of the World Bank for Africa and again in April with the Secretary-General of the International Organization of la Francophonie. The President of the United Nations General Assembly visited Bangui on 10 and 11 May to express his support for peacekeeping and the country’s recovery efforts.

7. The National Assembly held its second extraordinary session from 27 January to 6 February during which it adopted legislation on intellectual property and the postal system. The first ordinary session of 2017, held from 1 March to 31 May, elected a new bureau of the Assembly on 9 March and adopted laws creating the National Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms Commission and establishing the new Military Justice Code, and ratified the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance.

8. To foster greater collaboration and coordination with international partners on economic recovery and development, humanitarian response, and key political and governance reforms, the Government established structures to operationalize the National Recovery and Peacebuilding Plan and the Framework for Mutual Engagement between the Central African Government and the international community On 22 March, the President convened the first meeting of the advisory board, the highest-level forum within this architecture and the venue for discussions between the Government and international partners on strategic issues related to peace, stability, human security and recovery.