Security Council expected action in Central African Republic

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22 February 2021

The Security Council is expected to adopt new measures to support its mission in the Central African Republic. 

The United Nations (UN) Security Council will take action within the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) which mandate expires on 15 November 2021. 

Since 2020, the security and political situation in the Central African Republic has critically worsened. The country has, indeed, suffered a series of attacks by the Coalition of Patriots for Change, an alliance of armed groups which fights against Central African armed forces and MINUSCA. The 2020 presidential elections have been the main event which has led to the escalation of tensions, namely attacks and occupations of several towns by some armed groups, whose control has been retaken by MINUSCA forces. Therefore, also following the killing of several peacekeepers, the Security Council decided to redeploy some military units from the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) to assist MINUSCA. According to the mission, numerous attacks have taken place since the elections and around ten MINUSCA peacekeepers have been killed. In addition, these attacks have also provoked the displacement of a considerable amount of people, in particular 58,000 persons are displaced within CAR and 60,000 refugees have fled across CAR’s border into neighbouring countries. 

As a result, the increased violence led the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for the Central African Republic, Mankeur Ndiaye, to ask for military reinforcement, while the CAR Foreign Minister requested the Council to lift the arms embargo that has been imposed on the country since 2013. Indeed, the Coalition of Patriots for Change has created serious difficulties to the CAR, cutting off the main supply route with Cameroon and stopping trucks carrying humanitarian assistance. 

Alongside the need for military reinforcement, the Council has to provide the mission with adequate resources to ensure the protection of civilians and the stabilization of the situation. While there is general support among Council members to provide the MINUSCA with the resources needed to address the violence, the CAR foreign minister’s request to lift the embargo is still a contentious issue that will be addressed in the following Council sessions.   

 

To know more please read: 

https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/monthly-forecast/2021-02/central-african-republic-10.php?print=true

https://peacekeeping.un.org/en/mission/minusca

https://issafrica.org/iss-today/car-elections-expose-the-depth-of-the-countrys-crisis?utm_source=BenchmarkEmail&utm_campaign=ISS_Today&utm_medium=email

https://reliefweb.int/country/caf

 

Author: Eleonora Gonnelli; Editor: Benedetta Spizzichino

 

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