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7965th Security Council Meeting: Situation Central African Republic
Killings Must End, Says National Representative, Urging Dialogue with Armed Groups
Violence in the Central African Republic — including attacks on minority groups and peacekeepers — harkened back to the darkest days of that country’s past, but the United Nations peacekeeping mission there must nevertheless stay the course so as to consolidate progress towards peace, its chief told the Security Council today.
Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), said harsh criticism of the Mission within the country reflected frustration over the Government’s lack of capacity, as well as persistent — largely self-inflicted — insecurity characterized by each side expecting MINUSCA to fight their perceived enemies.
Nevertheless, MINUSCA’s resolve was stronger than ever, and as a result, the Central African Republic was on a path to incremental peace, he declared. “We are now deeply inside a critical phase of mandate implementation and MINUSCA must stay the course to consolidate progress towards peace, even as we must recognize the magnitude of the adversity we face today.”
He recalled a recent meeting of the National Consultative and Follow-up Committee and the African Peace and Reconciliation Initiative in Bangui, saying there had also been contacts between the Government and the African Union, and ongoing efforts by the Community of Sant’Egidio. All stakeholders should seize opportunities to discuss — in good faith with the legitimate national authorities — steps towards sustainable peace, he emphasized.
On the humanitarian situation, he warned that it could take a turn for the worse if authorities failed to facilitate the return of refugees and displaced persons. Calling for an immediate halt to violence and the killing of innocent civilians, he said MINUSCA would continue to project a robust posture towards armed groups, although innovative approaches would be needed to ensure medium-term stability.
Pointing to a meeting of the Consultative Follow-up Committee on Disarmament, Demobilization, Reintegration and Repatriation, in which all 14 armed groups participated, he said it was incumbent on parties to genuinely embrace the peace process. With rule-of-law implementation at a critical stage, and the international community having shown unprecedented solidarity, it was up to Central Africans themselves to achieve stability and shared prosperity, he said.
The Council also heard from Andrew Gilmour, Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, who briefed on the report of a joint mapping project conducted by MINUSCA and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). The report documented serious violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law in the Central Africa Republic between January 2003 and December 2015, he said, adding that it detailed 620 incidents, most attributed to the Séléka/ex-Séléka and anti-Balaka armed groups, and to the Central African Republic’s defence and security forces. “This long list and patterns of past violations and abuses is unfortunately resuming today,” he said, emphasizing that it was time to send an unequivocal message to perpetrators that their actions were being documented and that they would be held accountable.
Also briefing was Marco Impagliazzo, President of the Community of Sant’Egidio, who described the Central African Republic as a priority for his organization. Since the 2016 election, the Community had centred its efforts on enhancing dialogue among various groups, including by hosting, in Rome, consultations among representatives of armed groups.
The representative of the Central African Republic said that, despite the bolstering of MINUSCA’s presence, armed groups had infested the entire country. The killings must end, she said, urging frank dialogue to address all issues of concern and agree upon a path forward. Urging support for regional efforts, she said an African-led effort must forge the way forward. Concerned that certain Member States had indicated a wish to remove financing for quick-impact projects, she stressed that “time is of the essence” in avoiding a complete collapse of the Central African Republic.
Vincenzo Amendola, Italy’s Under-Secretary of State for International and Foreign Affairs, said the fragile and worsening security environment revealed that the political process was insufficient to stop the fighting. He called on the authorities and all armed groups to address the root causes of the conflict, pressing the international community to help the Government.
Representatives of Uruguay, Russian Federation and Bolivia also spoke.
The meeting began at 10:31 a.m. and ended at 11:38 a.m.
