Central African Republic - Children and armed conflict in the Central African Republic - Report of the Secretary-General (S/2019/852)

Summary

The present report, submitted pursuant to Security Council resolution 1612 (2005) and subsequent resolutions on children and armed conflict, is the fourth report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict in the Central African Republic and covers the period from January 2016 to June 2019.
In the report, the Secretary-General addresses the effect of the cycles of violence on children in the country, highlighting trends and patterns of the six grave violations committed against children, and presents information, where available, on the perpetrators. The progress made by parties to the conflict in terms of dialogue, action plans and other child protection commitments is also outlined. The Secr etary-General provides a series of recommendations aimed at ending and preventing grave violations against children and strengthening child protection in the Central African Republic.

I. Introduction

1. The present report, submitted pursuant to Security Council resolution 1612 (2005) and subsequent resolutions, is my fourth report on the situation of children affected by armed conflict in the Central African Republic and covers the period from 1 January 2016 to 30 June 2019. In the report, I describe patterns of grave violations against children that have occurred since my previous report (S/2016/133) and outline challenges and progress in addressing the protection of children since the adoption of the conclusions of the Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict of the Security Council (S/AC.51/2016/3). Where feasible, parties to the conflict responsible for grave violations are identified. In the annexes to my most recent annual report on children and armed conflict (A/73/907-S/2019/509), the former Séléka coalition and associated armed groups, including the Front populaire pour la renaissance de la Centrafrique (FPRC), the Mouvement patriotique pour la Centrafrique (MPC) and the Union pour la paix en Centrafrique (UPC), local militias known as anti-balaka, and the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) are listed for recruitment and use, killing and maiming, and rape and sexual violence. In addition, the former Séléka coalition and associated armed groups are listed for attacks against schools and hospitals, and LRA for abduction. The United Nations country task force on monitoring and reporting in the Central African Republic, co-chaired by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), documented and verified the information contained in the present report. Grave violations against children were mostly committed by armed groups. There were few cases attributed to Government forces. The monitoring and reporting of grave violations was hampered by security and logistical constraints that limited physical access throughout the reporting period.
   In addition, victims and witnesses were often prevented from seeking assistance or reporting incidents owing to insecurity and fear stemming from the continued presence of perpetrators within the communities. The information contained in the present report is therefore only a partial representation of grave violations against children committed during the reporting period.