Armed groups in the Central African Republic (CAR) must lay down their arms and engage in political dialogue, a UN expert said Friday, urging the international community to strengthen efforts to restore State authority and end impunity in the country.
“I vehemently condemn the obstinacy of the Coalition of Patriots for Change and other armed groups who continue to spread terror, insecurity and suffering among the civilian population and victims of violations and abuses,” said Yao Agbetse, the UN Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in the Central African Republic on August 5.
At the conclusion of his official visit to CAR, the UN Independent Expert said he was dismayed by reports from local residents, describing the ease with which armed groups connect to neighboring Sudan. Meanwhile, in the prefectures of Mbomou and Haute Kotto, the Union for Peace in the Central African Republic (UPC) and the Front Populaire pour la Renaissance en Centrafrique (FPRC) have been responsible for numerous grave human rights violations, including sexual violence, particularly rape and sexual slavery, mostly of girls between the ages of 11-17, Mr. Agbetse said.
Calling on armed groups to lay down their arms in the best interest of the Central African population, the UN expert urged these militias to engage in political dialogue and the peace and reconciliation process led by the Commission on Truth, Justice, Reparation and Reconciliation (CVJRR).
Referring to the brutal, organized attack on the village of Boyo in December last year, the expert said human rights violations committed by the CAR national army (FACA) and the internal security forces (FSI) and their auxiliaries were “unacceptable.” Russian allies and the FACA had allegedly provided support and backing to the mostly Christian anti-Balaka militia who committed atrocities in Boyo, including beheadings and sexual violence, and forced thousands of residents to flee.
The UN expert also demanded that Russian mercenaries of the Wagner security group refrain from obstructing collaboration and joint operations between FACA, FSI and UN peacekeepers assigned to the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA).
Mr. Agbetse recommended strongly that all allegations of violations of human rights and international humanitarian law be systematically and thoroughly investigated by the Central African authorities. The human rights expert also called on the international community to strengthen its support to the country to ensure that the restoration of State authority is effective.
Independent experts are appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council to examine and report on a specific human rights issue or a country situation. The mandate of the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in the Central African Republic was established by the Human Rights Council in 2013.
The Central African Republic has been among the most neglected human rights and humanitarian crises for several years in a row. The CAR has been troubled by violent unrest since 2012. Despite a 2019 peace agreement, the security situation in the country remains precarious, and armed groups continue to control large parts of the Central African Republic's territory.
Further Information
Full press release: Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (UN Human Rights Office): Central African Republic: UN expert calls for end to impunity, urges armed groups to lay down arms, released on 5 August 2022
https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2022/08/central-african-republic-un-expert-calls-end-impunity-urges-armed-groups-lay
See also
DONARE: Humanitarian Emergencies: Central African Republic Crisis