36/64 Report of the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in the Central African Republic
Document Type: Final Report
Date: 2017 Jul
Session: 36th Regular Session (2017 Sep)
Agenda Item: Item10: Technical assistance and capacity-building
GE.17-12914 (E) 220817 230817
Human Rights Council Thirty-sixth session
11-29 September 2017
Agenda item 10
Technical assistance and capacity-building
Report of the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in the Central African Republic
Note by the Secretariat
The Secretariat has the honour to transmit to the Human Rights Council the report of
the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in the Central African Republic,
Marie-Thérèse Keita Bocoum, prepared pursuant to Council resolution 33/27. The report
covers the period from July 2016 to June 2017 and describes the overall evolution of the
human rights situation in the Central African Republic and the major developments
affecting it.
The period was marked by an increase in the number of human rights violations and
abuses, linked to the upsurge in fighting and to attacks by the various armed groups since
September 2016. Most of the abuses were committed during clashes between groups or
targeted attacks against civilians or in connection with movements by armed groups and
were the work of the ex-Séléka coalition led by the Front populaire pour la renaissance de
la Centrafrique, as well as of the Union pour la paix en Centrafrique, the 3R group and anti-
Balaka groups acting alone or on behalf of the armed coalition. There are reports that, in
certain cases, ethnic or religious communities were targeted because of their perceived
affiliation with an armed group. Thousands of children have been re-recruited into armed
groups after two years of efforts to reintegrate them into their communities of origin.
Peace and reconciliation initiatives are essential but have so far failed to keep the
guns at bay. Partners, neighbouring countries and friends of the Central African Republic
must work to bring about a peace process that is transparent, inclusive and respectful of
national sovereignty. Above all, peace efforts should never be promoted at the expense of
justice for victims, given that impunity is one of the structural causes of violence in the
country. The progressive establishment of the Special Criminal Court sends a strong signal
in this regard.
The humanitarian situation has deteriorated as a result of the upsurge in violence,
giving rise to an increased number of displaced persons in the interior of the country and in
Bangui, notably in the PK5 neighbourhood. Nearly half the Central African population is in
a situation of need.
United Nations A/HRC/36/64
General Assembly Distr.: General 28 July 2017
English
Original: French
2 GE.17-12914
Report of the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in the Central African Republic
Contents
Page
I. Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 3
II. General situation in the country .................................................................................................... 3
A. Security situation .................................................................................................................. 3
B. Political context and mediation efforts ................................................................................. 5
C. Humanitarian situation .......................................................................................................... 6
III. Human rights situation .................................................................................................................. 7
A. Abuses attributed to armed groups ....................................................................................... 7
B. Violations attributed to the national armed forces ................................................................ 9
C. Refugees and displaced persons............................................................................................ 9
D. Violence connected with accusations of witchcraft .............................................................. 9
E. Gender-based violence .......................................................................................................... 10
F. Situation of children ............................................................................................................. 11
G. Economic, social and cultural rights ..................................................................................... 11
IV. Efforts to fight impunity and transitional justice ........................................................................... 12
A. Special Criminal Court ......................................................................................................... 12
B. Non-judicial mechanisms and reconciliation ........................................................................ 13
C. Judicial and prison administration ........................................................................................ 14
V. Conclusions and recommendations ............................................................................................... 15
A. Conclusions .......................................................................................................................... 15
B. Recommendations ................................................................................................................. 16
GE.17-12914 3
I. Introduction
1. The present report is submitted pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 33/27
of 30 September 2016, in which the Council renewed the mandate of the Independent
Expert and requested her to submit a written report to it at its thirty-sixth session.
2. The report of the Independent Expert covers the period from July 2016 to June 2017,
during which she conducted two visits to the Central African Republic, from 25 January
2017 to 3 February 2017 and from 7 to 16 June 2017. She travelled to Bangui, Bambari,
Birao and Obo. For security reasons, the Independent Expert was not able to return to
Bangassou as had originally been her plan.
3. The Independent Expert met with the Prime Minister and several of his ministers,
including the Ministers for Foreign Affairs, Defence, Interior, Justice and Human Rights,
and National Reconciliation, as well as the Minister Counsellor in charge of disarmament,
demobilization, reintegration and repatriation. She also met with the senior advocate
general of the court of appeal in Bangui; the President of the National Assembly and chairs
of the committees; the transitional president, Ms. Samba-Panza, and other transition
officials; and political party representatives, including opposition leaders. She wishes to
thank all her interlocutors for their cooperation.
4. The Independent Expert also held discussions with the senior management and
chiefs of the various civilian, military and police components of the United Nations
Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic
(MINUSCA), as well as with representatives of United Nations specialized agencies, the
diplomatic corps, the Economic Community of Central African States and various
international humanitarian organizations. In addition, she met with representatives of civil
society and of human rights and women’s organizations; with victims’ representatives; with
representatives of the religious council and other religious leaders; and with representatives
of the traditional chieftancy system, in particular those from Bangassou. She was also able
to meet with representatives of the main ex-Séléka and anti-Balaka armed groups.
5. In November 2016, she participated as an observer at the donor conference
organized jointly in Brussels by the European Union, the Government of the Central
African Republic, the United Nations and the World Bank, the aim of which was to
strengthen political and financial support for national efforts to promote peace, security,
reconciliation and reconstruction, which are described in detail in the National Recovery
and Peacebuilding Plan.
6. The Independent Expert thanks the Government for its cooperation and assistance
and the United Nations and MINUSCA, especially the Human Rights Division and its staff,
for their support of her mandate and during her visits, and all the individuals and
associations that were kind enough to share their assessment of the human rights situation
in the country.
7. The Independent Expert presented an oral update to the Human Rights Council at its
thirty-fourth session and met with representatives of the diplomatic corps and of non-
governmental organizations in Geneva.
II. General situation in the country
A. Security situation
8. The reporting period was once again marked by outbreaks of violence with
increasingly frequent and intense clashes between armed groups, leading to disastrous
consequences for civilians. Virtually no province has been spared from acts of violence
perpetrated by the various armed groups. Sporadic incidents also took place in Bangui,
including attacks against MINUSCA peacekeepers.
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9. Power struggles between and within the armed groups, ethnic tensions, attempts to
control areas rich in resources and seasonal migration movements (by livestock herders)
have led to an escalation in violence not seen since 2014.
10. In the provinces of Ouaka and Haute-Kotto, territorial clashes between the coalition
of the Front populaire pour la renaissance de la Centrafrique (FPRC) and the Union pour la
paix en Centrafrique (UPC) have affected many civilians, who are increasingly targeted on
the basis of their ethnicity. Between September and November 2016, a series of battles
between FPRC and UPC in Bria and between ex-Séléka and anti-Balaka fighters in Kaga
Bandoro led to the displacement of nearly 53,000 persons.
11. In December 2016, FPRC and its allies, including anti-Balaka elements, launched an
offensive to dislodge UPC from its stronghold in Bambari. During their advance towards
Bambari, the armed coalition attacked numerous villages to the east and north of the city
and committed numerous human rights abuses against the population, especially the Fulani.
12. Faced with an imminent attack on Bambari, MINUSCA took military action on 26
February 2017 to halt the advance of the FPRC coalition, which resulted in the death of the
FPRC chief of staff and injuries to seven others among its members. MINUSCA obtained
the withdrawal of the armed groups from the city, including that of Ali Darassa, the head of
UPC, who had set up his headquarters there. The local anti-Balaka chief, Gaétan Boadé,
also left Bambari, which MINUSCA designated a “city free from armed groups”.
13. However, Ali Darassa’s departure from Bambari for the south has merely shifted the
locus of the conflict towards the prefectures of Basse-Kotto, Mbomou and Haut-Mbomou.
Between 20 and 22 March, the FPRC coalition and anti-Balaka elements reportedly killed
more than 23 civilians in Bakouma, in Mbomou prefecture. On 15 April, UPC reportedly
attacked the locality of Zémio, in Haut-Mbomou prefecture, as well as the MINUSCA base
during the night of 15 April. The attack left two persons dead on the UPC side and several
wounded.
14. On 10 May, in an ambush on the road between Rafaï and Bangassou, anti-Balaka
elements allegedly kidnapped and killed Cambodian and Moroccan peacekeepers in the
deadliest attack against a MINUSCA convoy since the Mission’s establishment. Five
United Nations peacekeepers were killed and 10 were injured.
15. On 13 and 14 May, alleged anti-Balaka elements operating independently or at the
behest of the FPRC coalition carried out an assault with heavy weaponry against the city of
Bangassou in the prefecture of Mbomou. The attacks targeted the primarily Muslim
neighbourhood of Tokoyo, as well as the MINUSCA base, resulting in the death of one
peacekeeper and massive displacements of civilians. There are reports that 3,000 persons
sought refuge in the north of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which had been struck
by an epidemic of the Ebola virus.
16. In Bria, the security situation deteriorated once again in May 2017, when fighting
broke out between two factions of the FPRC/anti-Balaka coalition on 14 May 2017,
resulting in dozens of deaths and massive population displacement. On 20 June 2017, the
day after the ceasefire declared in Rome, clashes had resumed and had caused the death of
several dozen combatants and civilians.
17. The Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) also continues to commit numerous human
rights abuses against the population of the prefectures of Mbomou and Haut-Mbomou as
Ugandan and American troops deployed under the African Union Regional Task Force for
the elimination of the Lord’s Resistance Army gradually withdraw. The departure of these
troops leaves a security vacuum in the east, an area subject to attacks from not only LRA
but also other armed groups and criminal organizations. The Independent Expert met
people in this area who are very concerned for their safety.
18. In the north-western part of the country, heightened tensions persist between the
Fulani and the villagers, related in particular to livestock migration, cattle theft and punitive
expeditions. In the prefectures of Nana-Mambéré and Ouham Pendé, the anti-Balaka and
the armed group 3R (“Return, Reclamation and Rehabilitation”) have committed many
abuses, in particular around the localities of Niem, Dankouri, Koui and Bocaranga.
GE.17-12914 5
19. The security situation in the capital, Bangui, continues to improve as a result of the
actions of MINUSCA peacekeepers, who serve as a deterrent to potential troublemakers.
Yet, despite the return of many displaced persons to the PK5 neighbourhood at the
beginning of the year, particularly from the M’Poko airport site, the situation remains
volatile. For example, the death on 7 February 2017 of Youssouf Malinga, also known as
“Big man”, in this neighbourhood led to a wave of reprisals, including murders and the
burning of houses.
20. Virtually no progress has been made in implementing the disarmament,
demobilization, reintegration and repatriation programme or in reforming the security
sector. An advisory and monitoring committee on disarmament, demobilization,
reintegration and repatriation has been established and meets regularly in the presence of
representatives of the armed groups. However, the latter appear to be participating in order
to ensure that they have a place in the programme without making any real commitment on
the ground to ending the violence in the areas under their control.
21. The Independent Expert welcomes the efforts made by the European Union in the
training, accreditation and certification of the Central African Armed Forces. Of the three
battalions expected to be trained by 2018, 600 soldiers have already completed training.
Given the situation of violence, a majority of the members of civil society and certain
representatives of the authorities with whom meetings were held requested that the
embargo be lifted in order to provide the army with equipment and weapons. The
Independent Expert was informed that the Central African Republic could obtain a
dispensation from the arms embargo in order to equip its forces and that the Government
had approached the international community with a view to requesting help from other
partners in accelerating the training and providing equipment and other logistical resources
to the new Central African army. The Government has also undertaken the recruitment,
through a joint committee composed of representatives of the State and MINUSCA, of 500
police officers and gendarmes.
22. The Independent Expert has observed delays in the restoration of State authority
outside Bangui. The security situation is such that State officials are discouraged from
expanding operations to certain regions under the control of armed groups. This is
particularly true in the east, where there is only one gendarme in Zémio and in Mboki, and
none in the sub-prefecture of Bambouti. At the end of June 2017, armed groups appeared to
hold sway over 12 of the 16 prefectures, representing nearly 70 per cent of the national
territory.
B. Political context and mediation efforts
23. The escalation in violence in September 2016 undermined the Government’s efforts
to restore the authority of the State, as well as regional and national initiatives in favour of
peace.
24. With the support of its partners, the Government had, however, made significant
progress in developing a legislative and institutional framework, including the adoption of
organic laws, accession to international human rights conventions, the adoption of a
recovery plan and the appointment of the Prosecutor of the Special Criminal Court.
25. The National Recovery and Peacebuilding Plan, which was developed by the
Government in partnership with the United Nations, the European Union and the World
Bank, was approved by the National Assembly on 26 October 2016. It is based on the
following three pillars: support for peace, security and reconciliation; renewal of the social
contract between the State and the people; and economic recovery and revitalization of the
productive sectors.
26. The donor conference held on 17 November 2016 in Brussels demonstrated the
willingness of the international community to assist the Central African Republic through
pledges totalling $2.2 billion to finance the National Recovery and Peacebuilding Plan for
three years. The actual disbursement of these pledges has, however, been slow to
materialize.
6 GE.17-12914
27. During her last visit, the Independent Expert was informed that some budget lines
had started to become available, notably those related to disarmament, demobilization,
reintegration and repatriation, and that the authorities were willing to establish a national
secretariat for implementing the National Recovery and Peacebuilding Plan and
establishing contacts with partner States.
28. During the special session held from 3 to 17 January, the Assembly adopted laws on
the establishment of the other institutions provided for in the Constitution, including the
Economic and Social Council, the National Mediation Council, the High Council for
Communication and the High Authority on Good Governance.
29. MINUSCA also supported the deployment of more than 600 administrative staff, the
restoration of administrative buildings, mainly through the funding of quick-impact
projects, and the launch of a territorial administration guide.
30. The States in the region, in cooperation with the Economic Community of Central
African States and the African Union, have begun mediation efforts with a view to
promoting a peace agreement between the Government and the various armed groups. The
African Initiative for a Peace and Reconciliation Agreement in the Central African
Republic, endorsed at the African Union Summit held in Addis Ababa on 30 and 31
January 2017, has enabled better coordination of mediation efforts, which were initially
somewhat scattered.
31. On 19 June 2017, all armed groups, with the exception of 3R, met in Rome where,
under the aegis of the Community of Sant’Egidio, they signed the Sant’Egidio Agreement,
which provided for an immediate ceasefire. The day after the signing of the agreement,
nearly 100 people were reportedly killed in Bria in clashes between FPRC and anti-Balaka
fighters. Violence continues on the ground, potentially casting doubt on the credibility of
this agreement.
32. Lastly, a coordination meeting between the peace mediators was held in Brussels on
21 June 2017 in order to agree on a road map for the implementation of the agreement.
33. Numerous civil society actors have expressed concern at the lack of transparency of
these initiatives, the lack of communication from the Central African Government
concerning the agreement and persistent rumours of negotiations to secure an amnesty for
war crimes and crimes against humanity. Nevertheless, members of the Government
assured the Independent Expert of their commitment to combating impunity.
34. The Independent Expert found it regrettable that no women were involved in the
mediation initiatives, although she was encouraged by the establishment of a network for
women’s leadership in the Central African Republic, which promotes the participation of
women in all national processes, including those relating to peace and security. She also
encourages the authorities to involve traditional leaders in their peace initiatives at the local
level.
C. Humanitarian situation
35. The humanitarian situation has deteriorated severely as a result of massive
displacements caused by the resumption of fighting. More than 100,000 new internally
displaced persons were registered in affected areas between September 2016 and February
2017. Half of the country, or 2.2 million people, remains dependent on humanitarian
assistance.1
36. On 5 December 2016, a humanitarian response plan for the period 2017-2019 was
presented in Geneva. It provides for a budget of $399 million to help 1.6 million Central
Africans. It should be recalled that the plan was drawn up before the resumption of fighting
and does not take into account needs linked to the new displacements.
1 See www.un.org/apps/newsFr/storyF.asp?NewsID 39133#.WWiBIIiGPcs.
GE.17-12914 7
37. Regrettably, the funding provided by institutional donors has fallen far short of that
required to meet humanitarian needs, despite advocacy on the part of humanitarian
organizations, MINUSCA and the United Nations specialized agencies. By late May 2017,
the humanitarian response plan was funded at only 27.8 per cent. According to the Office
for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), all the warning signs are present,
yet the quality and scope of the humanitarian response is being reduced. Access to
communities in need, already affected by the security situation, risks being further limited if
humanitarian partners cease operations or if logistical resources, such as air transport
services, are cut back for lack of funds.
38. The Independent Expert joins humanitarian actors in calling on the international
community to mobilize to avert the impending humanitarian crisis, the consequences of
which in the future will be far more costly if nothing is done. Humanitarian actors have,
moreover, continued to operate in a highly volatile security environment. On 5 May 2017,
OCHA announced that four humanitarian organizations had decided to suspend their
activities temporarily in the prefecture of Ouham in the light of the threats they faced. More
than 300 incidents in 2016 and more than 1,667 security incidents involving humanitarian
workers have been recorded since the beginning of the year.2 Furthermore, 72 per cent of
health-care facilities have been damaged or destroyed by violence and looting, and health-
care facilities in the vast majority of cases depend on humanitarian assistance.3
III. Human rights situation
39. The period was marked by an increase in human rights violations and abuses linked
to the upsurge in fighting and to attacks by the various armed groups. Most of the abuses
were perpetrated by ex-Séléka and anti-Balaka armed groups; they included killings, acts of
torture and inhuman or degrading treatment, sexual violence, abductions, deprivation of
liberty and arbitrary arrest, extortion and looting, recruitment and exploitation of children,
the occupation of schools and health centres and attacks on them, and denial of
humanitarian assistance. In this context, vulnerable groups, including persons with
disabilities, face even greater challenges in terms of access to food, sanitation and medical
assistance.
40. The Independent Expert also finds it regrettable that the national security forces
commonly have recourse to prolonged and unlawful pretrial detention and that conditions
of detention remain very poor.
41. The Independent Expert welcomes the adoption and promulgation on 20 April 2017
of the Act establishing the National Commission on Human Rights and Fundamental
Freedoms. She encourages the Government to bring it into operation with the technical
support of the Human Rights Division of MINUSCA and to ensure that the criteria of
professionalism, integrity and gender balance are respected in the selection of
commissioners.
A. Abuses attributed to armed groups
42. The period was marked by a significant increase, from November 2016, in human
rights abuses perpetrated by armed groups.4 Between July 2016 and June 2017, the Human
Rights Division of MINUSCA recorded 1,976 cases of violations and abuses, which left
3,423 victims (2,120 men, 327 women, 189 boys and 116 girls, and 113 children and 558
adults who were not identified).
2 Identified by the International NGO Safety Organization; see
www.ngosafety.org/country/central_african_republic.
3 See www.msf.fr/actualite/dossiers/republique-centrafricaine-crise-silencieuse.
4 In 2015, MINUSCA reported 1,278 human rights violations, which left 1,786 victims (see
A/HRC/33/63, para. 36).
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43. Most of the abuses were committed during clashes between groups or targeted
attacks against civilians or in connection with movements by armed groups and were the
work of the ex-Séléka coalition led by FPRC (including both ex-Séléka and anti-Balaka
elements), as well as of UPC, the 3R group and anti-Balaka groups acting alone or on
behalf of the armed coalition. There are reports that, in some cases, certain communities
were targeted because of their perceived affiliation with an armed group.
44. On 12 October 2016, ex-Séléka fighters killed at least 37 civilians, injured 57 and
forced thousands of people to flee when they razed the camp for internally displaced
persons in Kaga Bandoro. The fighters destroyed 175 houses and 435 huts in the camp and
surrounding areas, despite the presence of MINUSCA peacekeeping forces.5
45. In the days that followed the fighting of November 2016 between FPRC and UPC in
Bria, FPRC elements reportedly targeted the Fulani community for its supposed affiliation
with UPC, carried out killings and abductions, and occupied hospitals, preventing injured
Fulani from receiving treatment. Some of the dead were allegedly robbed and mutilated.
For their part, UPC elements and armed Fulani reportedly attacked civilians on the roads
outside Bria, executed and abducted men, and raped girls. They were reported to have
specifically targeted Arab Muslims and Gula.
46. On 11 and 12 December 2016, UPC retook the town of Bakala, to the north of
Bambari, which they had been driven out of by the armed coalition. UPC elements took
revenge on the population for their previous defeat and reportedly killed at least 88 people
in Bakala and at least 57 at neighbouring or nearby mining sites. It was reported that dozens
of people, including children, were killed in the complex of the sub-prefectural school and
close to the gendarmerie station, where UPC had invited them to attend a meeting. The
bodies were allegedly dumped in the Ouaka River and in wells. UPC elements also
reportedly killed many civilians during offensives in several villages in the prefectures of
Ouaka and Basse-Kotto between February and May 2017.6
47. More than 400 people, including women and children, were reportedly killed in the
prefectures of Haute-Kotto and Ouaka alone during the fighting and attacks by armed
groups between November 2016 and February 2017.
48. Anti-Balaka fighters are accused of responsibility for a large number of killings of
Fulani civilians, committed either alone or alongside the FPRC coalition. In mid-February
2017, anti-Balaka fighters reportedly killed at least 16 ethnic Fulani civilians near Ippy,
Ouaka prefecture, during an ambush on a truck carrying people trying to reach safety in
Bambari.7
49. Between 7 and 15 March, for example, attacks carried out by anti-Balaka elements
on the village of Site Chinois, to the south of Bria, reportedly resulted in the deaths of
around nine Fulani civilians and massive population displacement.
50. Armed groups have deliberately targeted the civilian population. Between 20 and 22
March 2017, the FPRC coalition and anti-Balaka fighters are alleged to have killed more
than 23 civilians in Bakouma, Mbomou prefecture. On 11 May 2017, the local branch of
the Red Cross in Alindao, Basse-Kotto, reported that 37 bodies had been recovered and 110
people injured in the locality following attacks carried out against the population between 8
and 10 May, allegedly by UPC militias. The local Red Cross documented 115 deaths
following an attack on the town of Bangassou on 13 May 2017.
51. During clashes between anti-Balaka and ex-Séléka UPC in Alindao, Basse-Kotto, in
mid-May, fighters set fire to more than 360 houses, according to the local Red Cross.
52. In the north-west of the country, following the theft of 600 cattle from an
encampment of Fulani herders on 27 April 2017, allegedly by anti-Balaka elements, 3R
fighters were reported to have attacked the town of Niem in Nana-Mambéré prefecture on 2
May 2017, causing population displacement and the deaths of 11 people.
5 Human Rights Watch, “Killing Without Consequence”, July 2017.
6 Information received from the Human Rights Division of MINUSCA.
7 Human Rights Watch, “Killing Without Consequence”, July 2017.
GE.17-12914 9
53. LRA continued to commit serious abuses against the civilian population in the areas
under its control in the east of the Central African Republic, to attack villages, to loot
property and to abduct civilians almost routinely, subjecting them to forced labour, forced
recruitment, sexual slavery, sexual violence and forced marriage. Between July 2016 and
June 2017, the Human Rights Division documented more than 100 incidents, which left
over 360 victims.8 The departure of Ugandan and American international forces is not only
leaving a security vacuum, but is also affecting the provision of assistance to the victims of
LRA.
B. Violations attributed to the national armed forces
54. Arbitrary arrests and detention remain a serious obstacle to the administration of
justice in the Central African Republic. All 615 cases of arbitrary detention documented by
the Human Rights Division between July 2016 and June 2017 were related to the security
forces’ failure to respect the 72-hour legal limit (renewable once) for detaining suspects
before bringing them before a judicial authority. This situation remains due to the absence
of a functioning judiciary, to technical and logistical constraints stemming from the security
forces’ lack of training and to the unavailability of the resources necessary to ensure
compliance with legal procedures.
55. The Independent Expert was also informed of a case that occurred in the context of
the violence in the PK5 neighbourhood of Bangui in early October 2016, where elements of
the Central African Armed Forces reportedly shot dead two people.
C. Refugees and displaced persons
56. The Central African Republic has experienced a new wave of mass displacement as
a result of the armed violence. As at 25 May 2017, 503,600 Central Africans, that is nearly
100,000 more than in the previous year, were internally displaced. As at 30 June 2017,
481,350 had fled, mostly to neighbouring countries.9
57. In early 2017, the Government ordered the closure of the displaced persons’ site at
M’Poko airport. As at 15 January, 17,151 persons had left the site and returned to the third
and eighth districts and the suburbs of Bimbo. Since December 2016, the Ministry for
Social Affairs and National Reconciliation has promoted these returns through its project to
support the return and reintegration of displaced persons and refugees in the Central
African Republic and its “Christmas at Home” operation, providing lump-sum payments to
the displaced.
58. The problems of looting and destruction of goods and property and their restitution
remain unresolved and need to be addressed in order to enable the return of refugees, while
avoiding the creation of new flashpoints. The Independent Expert reiterates her
recommendation to establish conditions under which the informed, voluntary, dignified and
sustainable return of refugees and displaced persons and their reintegration into their
community through the promotion of “living together” is possible.
D. Violence connected with accusations of witchcraft
59. The ongoing conflict and traditional beliefs continue to fuel the phenomenon of
witchcraft and crimes that, while supposedly prompted by accusations of sorcery, actually
involve premeditated acts perpetrated by armed groups, more often than not to extort
money from the victims. The Human Rights Division has documented 45 cases of violence
8 According to LRA Crisis Tracker, LRA was involved in 73 incidents, killed 7 people and abducted
216 others in the Central African Republic between July 2016 and June 2017; see
www.lracrisistracker.com.
9 See http://data.unhcr.org/car/regional.php.
10 GE.17-12914
committed against persons accused of witchcraft, claiming 77 victims, 38 of whom were
men, 32 women and 7 children.
60. Under Central African law, offences of witchcraft carry a maximum sentence of life
imprisonment with forced labour if they cause death. This situation is of deep concern
because of the obvious questions it raises as to evidence.10
61. Most of those accused of witchcraft and charlatanism are women and children, and a
large number end up in prison. When MINUSCA staff visited the Bimbo women’s prison
in Bangui in early 2017, 21 of the 46 women detainees were accused of witchcraft. 11
Sometimes, certain accused are charged, tried and convicted by the courts.
62. On each visit and in her reports, the Independent Expert continues to alert the
authorities to these practices and the false allegations made by members of armed groups in
order to terrorize and extort money from the population. She reiterates her previous
recommendations, in particular the recommendation to prosecute and punish all
perpetrators of violations against persons accused of witchcraft; carry out awareness-raising
campaigns to counter these practices; and begin a national debate on the issue, including in
respect of existing legislation, in order to find real solutions that respect universal human
rights standards.
E. Gender-based violence
63. The resurgence of widespread violence has gone hand in hand with a significant
increase in acts of sexual violence committed by armed groups during this period. In 2016,
MINUSCA recorded 179 cases of conflict-related sexual violence against 92 women, 86
girls and 1 boy; between January and May 2017, MINUSCA documented 91 cases
involving 48 women and 72 girls.12 The true number is likely to be higher, as victims are
reluctant to report such crimes because of fear of stigma or reprisals, and because the lack
of security has prevented access to certain areas and hampered investigation and
documentation efforts. The absence of a judiciary outside the capital also deters victims
from filing complaints.
64. The vast majority of perpetrators are reportedly armed groups operating in the
conflict zones, but also Fulani herders who commit acts of sexual violence during clashes
or against women and girls they encounter on seasonal migration routes. In many cases, the
victims are gang-raped. Outside urban centres, victims rarely have access to medical and
psychosocial support.
65. On 14 June 2017, President Touadéra inaugurated the headquarters of the joint rapid
response unit to combat sexual violence against women and children, stating that
approximately 60,000 cases of violence against women and children had been recorded
since 2014. The unit, which comprises 29 commissioned and non-commissioned police and
gendarmerie officers (including 10 women), aims to promote an enabling environment for
the prevention and punishment of gender-based violence and violations of the rights of the
child in the Central African Republic.
66. During the reporting period, the Independent Expert continued to meet with many
women’s organizations, to encourage their initiatives and to urge partners to support their
work. She visited, inter alia, a women’s association in the seventh district of Bangui that
has set up income-generating activities and organizes education and training.
67. The measures implemented by the Secretary-General of the United Nations and
MINUSCA in response to numerous reported cases of sexual exploitation and abuse by
international forces in 2015 and 2016 appear to have had a deterrent and preventive effect.
The Independent Expert notes, however, that the investigations undertaken have rarely been
made public and that few have resulted in convictions. She encourages partners to provide
10 Report of the Mapping Project, chap. V, D.1.
11 MINUSCA, internal report, February 2017.
12 MINUSCA produces monthly reports on conflict-related sexual violence.
GE.17-12914 11
funds for effective legal assistance for victims, and States to conduct inquiries and bring the
perpetrators to justice.
68. The Independent Expert recalls the Secretary-General’s strategy to improve the
Organization’s system-wide approach to preventing and responding to sexual exploitation
and abuse, which seeks to put victims first, in accordance with the principles of “do no
harm”, confidentiality and informed consent in the best interests of the victim.13
F. Situation of children
69. The United Nations has reported an increase in the recruitment and use of child
soldiers during the recent upsurge in violence. OCHA estimates that from 4,000 to 5,000
children still belong to armed groups. Reportedly, only half of the 9,000 children released
and handed over to the Ministry of Social Affairs and then to the United Nations Children’s
Fund (UNICEF) since 2014 have benefited from a full reintegration programme.
70. Children have continued to be used as combatants, guards, human shields, porters,
messengers, spies, domestic workers or sex slaves. There are also reports of Fulani children
being abducted by armed groups, especially anti-Balaka fighters, who allegedly demand
livestock as ransom for their release.
71. On 13 May 2017, FPRC, which has until now been reluctant to cooperate with the
United Nations specialized agencies on the issue of forcibly recruited children, signed a
directive ordering its commanders to refrain from recruiting children and to identify the
children within their ranks, with United Nations support.
G. Economic, social and cultural rights
72. Armed groups have spread across the centre and east of the country, seeking to take
control of and plunder natural resource-rich areas and to control trade and seasonal
migration routes. The ensuing destruction of goods and property, looting and mass
displacement have driven the already destitute population further into poverty. The Panel of
Experts on the Central African Republic, in its final report (S/2016/1032), again denounced
the cross-border trafficking by armed groups of weapons, gold, diamonds, illicit drugs and
animals into the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Cameroon. Armed groups are also
setting up roadblocks in order to collect taxes in areas under their control, specifically
targeting diamond miners, merchants and collectors, and impeding the free movement of
goods and people.
73. Although the National Recovery and Peacebuilding Plan contains numerous
provisions aimed at the economic recovery of the Central African Republic, their
implementation has been slow, mainly because donors and investors are reluctant to launch
economic activities given the lack of security and the scant progress made with regard to
transparency in financial management and the fight against corruption. The Central African
Republic ranks 40th out of 50 African States and 159th out of 176 countries globally in
terms of corruption.14
74. The development of economic activities remains a key factor in reducing the appeal
of weapons and enabling the population to enjoy the benefits of peace. In fact, many young
people are pushed towards armed groups by joblessness and a lack of economic prospects.
There is a great need to work on youth employment policies and initiate labour-intensive
works that will offer job opportunities in addition to those created in the civil service.
75. Basic social services, in particular education and health, are non-existent or largely
insufficient outside Bangui as a result of the security situation, the lack of staff and
13 See the report of the Secretary-General on special measures for protection from sexual exploitation
and abuse: a new approach (A/71/818) and the report of the Mapping Project, chap. V, point 7.
14 According to Transparency International; see www.transparency.org/country/CAF.
12 GE.17-12914
infrastructure, and mass displacement. The Independent Expert noted this situation during
her trips to Obo and Birao.
76. Several schools remain or have been newly occupied by armed groups, mainly ex-
Séléka fighters, and are being used as barracks or bases. The acts of violence and abuse
committed by armed groups in and around schools are undermining the safety of students
and teachers.15
IV. Efforts to fight impunity and transitional justice
77. The Independent Expert continues to believe that the fight against impunity is one of
the keys to resolving the crisis in the Central African Republic. She welcomes the progress
made in establishing the Special Criminal Court and ensuring its effectiveness. She
deplores the fact that armed groups continue to rampage freely and with absolute impunity,
spreading terror, devastation and chaos. The population is frustrated that members of armed
groups responsible for acts of violence have not been neutralized and tried for their crimes.
The necessary measures must be taken to investigate those crimes and arrest the
perpetrators without further delay. The Ministry of Justice must increase the resources of
the country’s courts as a matter of priority, ensuring in particular that judges have an
effective presence in the towns to which they have been posted and that they hold ordinary
court sittings and assize court sessions on a more regular basis. The authorities should also
consider extending the mandate of the Special Criminal Court in order to send a strong
signal that current crimes will not go unpunished.
78. During her most recent visit to the Central African Republic, a large number of
people expressed concern to the Independent Expert that, during the peace negotiations,
requests had been made for amnesty for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.
The authorities with which she met, including the diplomatic corps, the Government and
the parliament, unanimously stated their determination to fight against impunity and ensure
that there would be no possibility of amnesty for war crimes, crimes against humanity or
genocide, in accordance with the outcome of the Bangui Forum, the Constitution and the
international conventions ratified by the Central African Republic.
79. On 11 May 2017, the country observed the second National Remembrance Day for
the victims of the conflicts in the Central African Republic, which was marked by the
laying of floral wreaths at a number of memorial sites in Bangui by the Prime Minister and
several members of the Government.
80. The Independent Expert welcomes these measures to promote justice and
recognition of victims, which should be supplemented by further steps as part of the
transitional justice strategy, including the setting up of a truth and reconciliation
commission, the preservation of archives and the construction of a memorial.
A. Special Criminal Court
81. Efforts to establish the Special Criminal Court are continuing. In January 2017, the
selection panel, made up of United Nations representatives and of the members of the
Higher Council of the Judiciary of the Central African Republic, selected Toussaint
Muntazini Mukimapa, a military judge from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, for the
post of Special Prosecutor of the Special Criminal Court, a choice confirmed by
presidential decree on 14 February 2017. Following the appointment of the Prosecutor, who
arrived in the Central African Republic on 25 May 2017, two female international
investigating judges (from France and Burkina Faso, respectively) were appointed.
82. On 5 May, five national judges were appointed. The Independent Expert was
concerned at the lack of women among the national appointees, in particular given that the
15 See www.hrw.org/fr/report/2017/03/23/pas-de-cours/quand-les-groupes-armes-utilisent-occupent-
des-en-republique.
GE.17-12914 13
Court would be handling cases involving sexual violence. The interministerial decree
establishing the committee for the selection of national criminal investigation officers was
signed on 23 February 2017. The committee has published the terms of reference for
criminal investigation officers and set 2 June 2017 as the deadline for applications, after
which shortlisting and interviews will be carried out; the new recruits are expected to take
up their posts in July 2017. A security plan has been drawn up by MINUSCA, including a
global security strategy for Special Criminal Court premises, as well as for key Court
personnel and their residences.
83. Several stages remain before the Court can begin its work, including the renovation
of the Court building itself, the resolution of the question of payments to court-appointed
lawyers, the recruitment of additional judges, and the recruitment and training of criminal
investigation officers.
B. Non-judicial mechanisms and reconciliation
84. Pursuant to the National Recovery and Peacebuilding Plan, on 21 December 2016
the President of the Republic announced the creation of local peace and reconciliation
committees. The Independent Expert was able to meet with the members of the committee
for the third district of Bangui (PK5), which is working to reconcile the different
communities, prevent disputes and actively promote social cohesion, despite lacking the
necessary resources. The international partners must support this government initiative,
under which 12 local peace and reconciliation committees have been set up to date and a
further 14 are planned for the various prefectures, as well as the initiatives of the Interfaith
Peace Platform and the actions taken by the traditional chiefs.
85. The Government has taken a number of measures to integrate the Muslim
community, including granting Muslim holidays official status. However, more must be
done to improve the representation of the Muslim minority in the parliament and in all
public bodies.
86. The Government and the international community must also provide specific
support to a great many civil society actors working on innovative initiatives in the fields of
prevention, reconciliation, social cohesion, and promotion and protection of human rights.
The Independent Expert encourages those organizations to continue their efforts and to
expand the scope of their activities to areas outside the capital.
87. The role of the National Committee for the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime
of Genocide, War Crimes, Crimes against Humanity and All Other Forms of
Discrimination is to identify root causes and warning signs and contribute to the
strengthening of the reconciliation process by setting up peace forums and other initiatives.
The Independent Expert has encouraged the Committee to publicize its work, composition
and road map and to raise awareness of violence prevention among all sections of society.
88. The Réseau de journalistes pour les droits de l’homme (Network of Journalists for
Human Rights) and its web of regional correspondents and thematic experts organize a
large number of innovative journalistic and outreach activities, with the aim of informing
the population of progress made in establishing the Special Criminal Court, access to
justice and the role of victims in the four pillars of transitional justice, as well as keeping
refugees and displaced persons informed of current events in the Central African Republic.
These initiatives should receive greater technical, financial and logistical support in order to
improve coverage across the country; in particular, there is a need for donations of
telecommunications and transport equipment.
89. The report of the Mapping Project, which includes a list of serious violations of
human rights and international humanitarian law committed between 1 January 2003 and
31 December 2015, was officially presented on 30 May 2017. The Security Council
referred to the project in its resolution 2301 (2016) as being one of the priority tasks of
MINUSCA under its human rights promotion and protection mandate. The project was also
tasked with listing the existing transitional justice mechanisms, putting forward a strategy
for the possible establishment of processes with regard to truth-seeking, reparation and
14 GE.17-12914
guarantees of non-recurrence, identifying priority areas for future investigations by the
Special Criminal Court and contributing to the preparation of a prosecution strategy for the
Special Criminal Court.16
90. According to the report of the Mapping Project, security conditions must improve
considerably if the transitional justice process is to be implemented peacefully. A staggered
approach should be adopted, with prosecutions and the vetting of the security forces being
carried out as a matter of priority. Furthermore, displaced persons located outside the
capital and refugees should be involved in the transitional justice process. The authorities
are encouraged to immediately launch preparatory activities, such as the enhancement of
documentation and archives, capacity-building for civil society and victims’ organizations,
the development of a victim and witness protection programme, and country-wide
consultation and awareness-raising on transitional justice.
91. The report also contains several recommendations on non-judicial transitional justice
mechanisms, in particular truth-seeking. It recalls that any future truth and reconciliation
commission must have a broad mandate allowing it to determine the facts, identify the root
causes of conflicts and events, and establish an impartial, historical record. It notes that,
although truth commissions can help to institute restorative justice, they should not act as
courts.
92. The Independent Expert had already affirmed her support for a truth commission as
a key element of the transitional justice strategy. In her previous report, she had
recommended that extended, thematic consultations should be held in order to consider
issues in greater depth before the formation of the aforementioned commission and to place
victims at the centre of the design and implementation of transitional justice mechanisms.
The Independent Expert had recalled the importance of ensuring the safety and protection
of victims and witnesses, in order to encourage them to testify about the serious violations
they suffered or witnessed.
93. The recent political agreement for peace in the Central African Republic, the
Sant’Egidio Agreement, provides for the setting up of a truth, justice and reconciliation
commission, with a 12-month mandate, which will make recommendations to the President
of the Republic on “traditional processes with regard to cases of reparation and pardon, the
reintegration of the leaders and officials of politico-military groups, the release of detained
combatants and the adoption of laws on national reconciliation”.17
94. As to the issue of amnesty, the Independent Expert calls on all the actors involved in
the peacebuilding efforts to respect the desire of the population of the Central African
Republic to see real justice, given that impunity is one of the structural causes of violence
in the country. The international community and the Government must remember that any
possibility of amnesty for war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide is out of the
question, in accordance with the outcome of the Bangui Forum, the Constitution and the
various international conventions ratified. No one should be able to escape truth and justice
and all those who know that they have committed reprehensible acts should have the
courage to take full responsibility for their actions before the nation and the victims. That is
the price they must pay if they wish to be forgiven and to contribute to reconciliation and
peace.
C. Judicial and prison administration
95. The judicial system continues to be dysfunctional and to suffer from a lack of
qualified staff and material resources. The Independent Expert was informed of the
authorities’ continued efforts to re-establish courts and a judiciary across the country. In all,
18 out of 30 courts (3 courts of appeal, 24 courts of major jurisdiction (tribunaux de
grandes instances) and 3 specialized courts) are up and running again and more than 60
judges have been posted to locations outside Bangui. Furthermore, 23 circuit courts have
16 See https://minusca.unmissions.org/en/human-rights-0.
17 Sant’Egidio Agreement, transmitted in a letter to the Security Council dated 22 June 2017.
GE.17-12914 15
been held in the provinces. As a result of the dire security situation and the lack of
detention facilities outside Bangui, the effectiveness of these courts remains to be
determined.
96. Many judges have yet to reassume their posts in the field owing to security and
logistical issues. For example, the courts have not sat in Bouar for the last three years
because of the lack of judges.
97. Following an initial session of the court of assizes in 2015, the first in almost five
years, a series of 55 criminal trials was held between 26 August and 26 September 2016,
involving cases of murder, rape, looting, conspiracy to murder and illegal possession of
weapons. 18 The Independent Expert encourages the judicial authorities to hold such
sessions on a regular basis in order to fight against the widespread sense of immunity in the
country.
98. The Independent Expert took note of the adoption, on 24 March 2017, of the
Military Justice Code, which provides for the prosecution of members of the armed forces
for indictable offences they have committed. She calls for the law to be disseminated
widely and implemented.
99. MINUSCA provides the judicial authorities with technical assistance, including
capacity-building relating to knowledge of the law. The separation of powers constitutes a
matter for concern, given that more than 17 per cent of serving judges reportedly also hold
political posts.
100. With regard to prison administration, a number of major challenges remain,
including the lack of detention facilities outside Bangui and the extremely poor conditions
of detention, which are due in particular to a lack of funds for food for detainees and to
prison overcrowding. In some locations, such as Bouar, detainees are suffering from
malnutrition.
V. Conclusions and recommendations
A. Conclusions
101. The security situation has worsened dramatically since the previous report and
the oral presentation of March 2017 following advances by the armed groups, who
currently control 12 out of country’s 16 provinces in the south and centre. The
Independent Expert notes that, in those areas, the armed groups are killing, looting,
burning down houses and assuming sweeping powers, including in the fields of justice
administration and tax collection, as the State and MINUSCA watch on, virtually
impotent. She has warned of the worsening of the security situation throughout the
period and of the slow progress in restoring effective State authority outside Bangui.
The current security situation is discouraging State employees from taking up posts in
certain regions that are in the hands of armed groups, thus preventing any headway
from being made in the establishment of a law-based State.
102. The Independent Expert has taken due note of the efforts made by the
authorities to implement their road map and the sectoral action plans, as well as the
institutional reforms adopted. However, she observes that, without a cessation of
hostilities and without the disarmament, demobilization, repatriation and
reintegration of the armed groups, it would be completely unrealistic to expect the
other urgent measures to promote the rule of law, justice and economic recovery to
have any real impact.
103. The Independent Expert encourages the MINUSCA peacekeeping force to
redouble its efforts to protect civilians threatened by the myriad armed groups
committing abuses. Many civil society organizations continue to call for the lifting of
18 Human Rights Watch, “Killing Without Consequence”, July 2017.
16 GE.17-12914
the embargo on the supply of weapons to the Central African Armed Forces, citing by
way of justification the inability of MINUSCA to provide effective protection and even
going so far as to accuse certain battalions of conspiring with the armed groups. The
Independent Expert has already underlined the importance of far-reaching reform of
the security sector, of the setting up of a vetting process to ensure that those
responsible for serious violations are prevented from re-enlisting in the armed forces
and of the establishment of an army that is responsible, national and democratic.
104. The fight against impunity is essential to the resolution of the crisis in the
Central African Republic. The population has waited too long for specific measures to
re-establish the rule of law. The appointment of the Special Prosecutor of the Special
Criminal Court is proof that progress can be made. That achievement must now be
built on as a matter of urgency to ensure that the Court becomes operational and to
break definitively with the past, which was characterized by a tendency to turn a
blind eye to the actions of war criminals and to reward violence.
105. The multiple mediation efforts must include not only the Government and the
armed groups, but also women and the Central African political parties. The
Independent Expert recalls that discussions on peace and development can bear fruit
only if they are inclusive and involve the effective participation of women from all
sections of society.
B. Recommendations
106. The Independent Expert reiterates the recommendations contained in her
previous report (see A/HRC/33/63, para. 122), which remain pending. She calls on the
Government, with the support of the international community:
(a) To continue to participate actively, transparently and with due respect
for its human rights obligations in conflict-mediation initiatives in order to achieve an
immediate end to hostilities and a lasting peace in a sovereign and united Central
African Republic;
(b) To encourage and ensure women’s participation in all peace and security
negotiation initiatives, in line with Security Council resolution 1325 (2000); and to
include the Central African political parties in negotiations on peace, reconciliation
and the future of the country;
(c) To reiterate its commitment to refrain from granting amnesty to those
responsible for serious crimes under international law, such as war crimes, acts of
genocide and crimes against humanity or serious human rights violations, and to
reaffirm the right of victims to know the truth about those violations and their right to
redress and reparation, in accordance with the will of the Central African people as
expressed at the Bangui Forum and in the Constitution of the Republic;
(d) To cooperate with the Special Prosecutor of the Special Criminal Court
in order to ensure that perpetrators, instigators of and accomplices to the most serious
international crimes, regardless of their status and/or political or religious affiliation
or ethnicity, are identified, arrested and put on trial without delay; to provide regular
information to the population, civil society organizations and community leaders
about the progress made in setting up the Special Criminal Court and to intensify
training for all stakeholders, including judicial personnel, lawyers and the Bar;
(e) To strengthen the resources of the country’s courts in order to ensure
that judges have an effective presence in the towns to which they have been posted
and hold ordinary court sittings and assize court sessions on a more regular basis;
(f) To finalize and implement without delay a victim and witness protection
strategy so that conditions are in place in which they can testify and obtain justice and
reparation in complete safety;
GE.17-12914 17
(g) To expedite the process of restoring State authority by deploying public
officials in every prefecture and to ensure that such officials are representative in
terms of their ethnicity, religious affiliation and sex;
(h) To continue to tackle the major issues at the national level, namely,
disarmament, demobilization, reintegration and repatriation, the reform of the
security sector and the National Recovery and Peacebuilding Plan, effective action on
which requires sustained and concerted resolve and commitment on the part of all
State actors, notwithstanding the support of the international community; and to
continue to advocate for and take steps to expedite the process of reconstituting
trained and equipped national security forces, as part of the reform of the security
sector;
(i) To promote economic recovery initiatives by approving and launching
highly labour-intensive projects across the country and to develop community-level
entrepreneurship and projects designed to occupy young people and keep them from
becoming involved in conflict;
(j) To develop an effective strategy to combat, and provide protection
against, the plundering of natural resources, including by securing roads and
production areas, and to punish traffickers, where necessary;
(k) To strengthen advocacy and action to ensure a humanitarian response
that is in line with the urgent needs for assistance and protection of populations
affected by fresh outbreaks of violence, in particular displaced persons and refugees;
and to create the necessary conditions, in those areas where it can be done, to enable
voluntary and sustainable return and reintegration, taking into account the exercise of
the right to property and goods;
(l) To define urgently a strategy and road map for transitional justice that
take account of economic crimes; to obtain and disseminate the report of the Mapping
Project, to launch preparatory activities for possible transitional justice mechanisms
and to set up the technical committee responsible for establishing a truth and
reconciliation commission;
(m) To support civil society actors working for peaceful coexistence, conflict
prevention and resolution, and human rights; to evaluate and build capacity and
resources for prevention and peaceful resolution of conflicts through traditional
mechanisms; and to support local peace and reconciliation committees and replicate
them within the country;
(n) To establish the new National Commission on Human Rights and
Fundamental Freedoms as soon as possible, to provide it with the necessary resources
and to ensure its independence;
(o) To strengthen initiatives to protect children and, in particular, initiatives
to benefit young people removed from the armed groups;
(p) To take urgent steps to ensure that persons with disabilities are
protected and have access to basic services, help and support;
(q) To operationalize the joint rapid response unit to combat sexual violence
against women and children as soon as possible; and to support local health
dispensaries by pursuing a policy of access to essential care and by equipping those
centres.
107. Addressing the armed groups, the Independent Expert:
(a) Urges them to cease immediately all hostilities and attacks against
civilians, to respect the peace agreements that they themselves have signed and to
respect the rights of civilian populations, in particular the rights to life, security and
physical integrity. Sexual violence is a serious human rights violation, and every rape
committed during or in connection with an armed conflict constitutes a war crime
that must not go unpunished;
18 GE.17-12914
(b) Urges them to respect peacekeeping forces and the staff and property of
humanitarian organizations and to allow rapid channelling of humanitarian aid.
Targeted attacks on humanitarian staff and resources may be considered war crimes;
(c) Recommends that they immediately stop recruiting child soldiers and
free all those who are still in their ranks.
108. The Independent Expert recommends that MINUSCA:
(a) Continue to respond firmly to any attempt to plunge the Central African
Republic back into a new chapter of the conflict; continue to advocate for its military
forces, in particular its special forces, to be strengthened and review its strategy for
protecting civilians in the light of the increase in the number of areas where violence
occurs; deploy its resources in sensitive areas and in areas to which the armed groups
could spread; assist the national authorities in taking steps to arrest those principally
responsible for violations of international humanitarian law and human rights;
(b) Strengthen its good offices and political support for efforts to achieve a
ceasefire, a political agreement that respects human rights and a reduction in the
influence of the armed groups through various forms of mediation and through
programmes on disarmament, demobilization and reintegration and the reform of the
security sector;
(c) Strengthen the activities of the civilian components of MINUSCA in the
area of preventing violence with a view to providing preventative protection for
civilians, with a particular focus on vulnerable populations; draw up joint plans of
action on warning mechanisms and in the area of capacity-building with the aim of
supporting the restoration of the rule of law; increase its support for national and
local actors working to build social cohesion through its programme to finance quick-
impact projects and other development programmes;
(d) Make every effort to enable the Special Criminal Court to begin its work
promptly;
(e) Build on institutional progress in the area of human rights by
strengthening the capacity of civil society, the National Commission on Human Rights
and Fundamental Freedoms and the National Committee for the Prevention and
Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, War Crimes, Crimes against Humanity and All
Other Forms of Discrimination by providing training in reporting and by making
meetings and joint monitoring, prevention and protection activities sustainable.
109. Addressing the international community, the Independent Expert:
(a) Welcomes the efforts already made and encourages renewed vigilance in
the face of fresh outbreaks of violence and the risks of increasing destabilization; calls
on all stakeholders to strive to achieve an end to hostilities and enable priority
programmes under the National Recovery and Peacebuilding Plan to be implemented;
(b) Encourages it to continue to support the Special Criminal Court in the
long term;
(c) Urges it to mobilize to avert the impending humanitarian crisis by
financing the Humanitarian Response Plan 2017-2018;
(d) Recommends that it strengthen its commitment to the negotiation efforts
between the Government and the armed groups initiated by multilateral
organizations, the African Union and the group of friends of the Central African
Republic to promote peace while respecting the values emerging from the Bangui
Forum and enshrined in the Constitution, in particular the need for justice;
encourages it to support the involvement of women in negotiations, in line with
Security Council resolution 1325 (2000);
(e) Encourages it to support the reform of the security sector by training
and equipping national security forces that can protect all sections of the Central
African population;
GE.17-12914 19
(f) Calls on it to continue to implement measures intended to prevent abuse
and to put an end once and for all to the scourge of sexual exploitation and violence by
international forces, to conduct relevant inquiries and to bring those responsible to
justice;
(g) Recommends that it facilitate the organization of a subregional
conference on matters of common interest, such as transhumance, transboundary
crime, subregional security, and refugees and displaced persons, which could be
supported by the African Union and the United Nations;
(h) Recommends that it remain seized of the issue of the human rights
situation in the Central African Republic.