Attachments
Letter dated 8 July 2020 from the Panel of Experts on the Central African Republic extended pursuant to resolution 2507 (2020) addressed to the President of the Security Council
The members of the Panel of Experts on the Central African Republic extended pursuant to resolution 2507 (2020) have the honour to transmit herewith, in accordance with paragraph 7 of resolution 2507 (2020), the final report on their work.
The attached report was provided to the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 2127 (2013) concerning the Central African Republic on 15 June 2020 and was considered by the Committee on 2 July 2020.
The Panel of Experts would appreciate it if the present letter and its annex were brought to the attention of the members of the Security Council and issued as a document of the Council.
(Signed) Romain Esmenjaud Coordinator
(Signed) Zobel Behalal Expert
(Signed) Fiona Mangan Expert
(Signed) Anna Osborne Expert
(Signed) Ilyas Oussedik Expert
Final report of the Panel of Experts on the Central African Republic extended pursuant to Security Council resolution 2507 (2020)
Summary
During the reporting period, the political and security situation was strongly affected by the prospect of the presidential and legislative elections, scheduled for December 2020 and March 2021. A controversial proposal calling for constitutional reform and fresh calls for a political transition (instead of elections) triggered a rise in tensions between the Government and the opposition. Relations were particularly strained between the supporters of the President, Faustin-Archange Touadéra, and those of the former President and sanctioned individual, François Bozizé, owing to speculation around Bozizé’s candidacy for upcoming elections.
The prospect of elections represented an additional incentive for armed groups to maintain and extend their control over territory. For those groups, presence on the ground could offer them the opportunity to influence the electoral process, thereby obtaining leverage in discussions with national and international actors. As a result, despite their nominal commitment to implement the Political Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation in the Central African Republic, signed in Bangui on 6 February 2019, armed groups continued to impede the restoration of State authority and engaged in many violations of the Agreement. In particular, the Union pour la paix en Centrafrique (UPC), led by Ali Darassa, and Retour, réclamation et réhabilitation (3R), led by Abbas Sidiki, expanded their areas of control.
The fighting in the north-east that was described in the previous report of the Panel (S/2019/930) continued, with all warring parties – including the Front populaire pour la renaissance de la Centrafrique (FPRC), the Mouvement des libérateurs centrafricains pour la justice (MLCJ) and the Rassemblement patriotique pour le renouveau de la Centrafrique (RPRC) – involved in major violations of human rights and international humanitarian law. The present report documents cases of, inter alia, targeted killings, sexual violence by those groups and the UPC and 3R, as well as the forced relocation of displaced communities by combatants in Ndélé and Birao.
The series of clashes was also fed by arrivals of foreign fighters and weaponry, mainly from the Sudan. Regional arms trafficking also continued through other routes. The report addresses a seizure of arms, most likely in transit to the Central African Republic, by the authorities of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Gbadolite. With regard to security sector reform, the Panel addressed the challenges in the establishment of the joint security units and the expansion of the role and size of the Presidential Guard.
Concerning natural resources, armed groups continued to benefit from the increase in artisanal gold production as a result of shortcomings in the procedures and rules intended to allow the Central African Republic and neighbouring countries to effectively tackle gold smuggling. The Panel investigated the growing involvement of 3R in the gold sector in the western part of the country, as well as the situation in the Ouham Prefecture, where a gold rush around Kouki offered ex-Séléka factions a new source of revenue. The Government also continued to issue mining permits in areas outside its control, raising the risk of armed groups receiving financing through the exploitation of natural resources.
The period under review was also marked by a heightened increase in the dissemination of inflammatory language in social, online and print media, often facilitated by the actions of organized networks. In February and March, several staff of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic were targets of a defamation campaign by individuals close to the Government of the Central African Republic. The campaign, along with the continued use of inflammatory language by political parties, raised concerns for the upcoming electoral period.
Concerning sanctions implementation, the report underlines continued travel ban violations by the sanctioned individual, Nourredine Adam, and delays in the submission of arms embargo notifications to the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 2127 (2013) concerning the Central African Republic.