United Nations multidimensional integrated stabilization mission

Start & End Date: 2014-Ongoing

Country/Countries: Central African Republic

Multilateral Institution(s) Involved: United Nations Peace Keeping

Plagued by decades of instability and fighting, the impoverished Central African Republic (CAR) witnessed a resumption of violence in December 2012 when the mainly Muslim Séléka (meaning ‘alliance’ in the local Sango language) rebel coalition launched a series of attacks. A peace agreement (Libreville Agreement) was reached in January 2013, but the rebels seized the capital, Bangui, in March, forcing President François Bozizé to flee. A transitional government has since been established and entrusted with restoring peace. The conflict however has taken on increasingly sectarian overtones by December as the mainly Christian anti-Balaka (anti-machete) movement took up arms and inter-communal clashes erupted again in and around Bangui. Months of violence led to wrecked State institutions, leaving millions on the brink of starvation and threatened to suck in the wider region. Thousands of people are believed to have been killed, and 2.5 million, more than half of the entire population, need humanitarian aid. As of March 2014, more than 650,000 people have been internally displaced, with more than 232,000 in the capital, Bangui, alone. This included 70,000 people who were living at a site for internally displaced persons (IDPs) at the airport in “appalling” conditions. Over 290,000 people have also fled to neighbouring Cameroon, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Congo. Since the beginning of the crisis, the United Nations, its Secretary-General as well as other international and regional actors, including the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), the African Union (AU), the European Union (EU) and France, have worked tirelessly trying to find a peaceful resolution of the conflict, stop the killings, protect civilians and provide humanitarian relief.

Speaking to the Security Council on 20 February 2014, the Secretary-General called for a comprehensive and integrated response to deal with the complex security, humanitarian, human rights and political crisis in the CAR. Although he was expected to report soon to the Council on the outlines of a future UN peacekeeping operation, the Secretary-General noted that its deployment might take months and that the people of the Central African Republic did not have months to wait. In that spirit, the Secretary-General proposed a new six-point initiative designed to stop the violence and killings, protect civilians, prevent the de facto partition of the country, facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance and provide the Government with some urgently needed support. The mission contributes to GPG provision by: (a) the protection of civilians; (b) the protection of United Nations personnel, installations and equipment and ensuring the security and freedom of movement of United Nations and associated personnel; (c) support for the political process and key elements of the transition, including the restoration of State authority and its extension throughout the territory; (d) the creation of security conditions conducive to the delivery of principled humanitarian assistance and the safe, voluntary and sustainable return of internally displaced persons and refugees; (e) the promotion and protection of human rights; (f) the promotion of a national dialogue, mediation and reconciliation at all levels; and (g) support for the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of former armed elements, with specific attention to children, and the repatriation of foreign elements, as well as community violence-reduction programmes. Additional tasks would include: (a) support for the organization and conduct of elections; (b) support for security sector reform; (c) support for the police, justice and correctional institutions to reinstate the criminal justice system; (d) mine action, monitoring of weapons and ammunition trafficking and stockpile management; (e) coordination of international efforts in support of enhancing good governance, including the development of sound fiscal policies and natural resources management; and (f) institution-building and laying the groundwork for long-term socioeconomic recovery.

MINUSCA has implemented a nationwide mobilization, outreach and civic education programme to ensure the engagement of youth in the electoral process and the full, equal, meaningful and safe participation of women as voters and candidates, including by ensuring that the legally mandated 35-per-cent quota for women’s participation in decision-making bodies is met. With support from MINUSCA, the Government has deployed mobile teams to continue disarmament and demobilization operations in the prefectures of Vakaga and Nana-Mambéré under the Political Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation. MINUSCA and the United Nations Development Programme supported the training of 1,892 police officers and gendarmes (534 women) on issues such as community policing, conduct and discipline, and conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence. From 18 to 23 June 2022, the Ministry of Justice, supported by the Human Rights Division of MINUSCA, organized two capacity-building and orientation sessions for members of that committee on reporting to the African treaty bodies and to United Nations human rights monitoring mechanisms. With the support of MINUSCA, the courts in the hinterland are receiving various types of support, including the rehabilitation of premises and the provision of computer and office equipment.