Zentralafrikanische Republik

On February 6, guarantors and many of the signatory parties of the Political Accord for Peace and Reconciliation in the Central African Republic (CAR) celebrated its one-year anniversary. … The growing deterioration of relations between the state and the signatory armed groups in the lead up to the December 2020 elections points to a worrying future. The most concerning issues in this regard are related to the lingering challenges with the roll-out of the Unités Spéciales Mixtes de Sécurité? (USMS) and continued violations of the peace accord.

One year after the signing of a peace deal in the Central African Republic (CAR), State authority is being extended throughout the country, violence against civilians has decreased, and an inclusive Government remains in place, the UN Security Council heard on Thursday.

In a February 18 statement, the U.N. peacekeeping mission MINUSCA said blue helmets and CAR armed forces (FACA) had repelled “heavily armed” FPRC fighters who were threatening a FACA base, the U.N. base, and a site for internally displaced people.

The UN Mission in CAR (MINUSCA) welcomed the verdict of the Bangui Court of Appeal in the trial of 32 fighters from the mostly-Christian Anti-Balaka militia, accused of crimes committed in May, 2017, in Bangassou and other communities in the country’s southeast.

The UN Security Council on Friday renewed the arms embargo against the Central African Republic (CAR) and extended the mandate of the expert panel assisting its sanctions committee for the country. … Despite the signing of a peace deal between the Government and 14 armed groups last February, the CAR continues to experience violence and insecurity.

Militia infighting in Central African Republic (CAR) killed around 40 people over the weekend and forced several hundred from their homes, local authorities said on Tuesday. The bloodshed was some of the worst since armed groups agreed a peace deal last February. … The clashes broke out on Saturday in the eastern town of Bria between different ethnic factions of the ex-Seleka armed group FPRC, according to the United Nation's peacekeeping mission known as MINUSCA.

Former Central African Republic President Francois Bozize insists he has returned from exile with peaceful intentions, even as concerns are growing that he will run in the upcoming presidential election. Bozize, who came to power in a coup and ruled for a decade, was ousted by a coalition of rebel groups in 2013, leading to years of inter-communal conflict. Fears have grown in recent weeks about Central African Republic’s fragile political stability as Michel Djotodia, the rebel leader who ousted Bozize, also recently returned home.

Fresh clashes in the Central African Republic’s southeast have driven some 400 people to seek shelter at a UN base there, the United Nations Spokesperson said on Wednesday. Peacekeepers are patrolling the city of Alindao, Basse Kotto Prefecture, after skirmishes last Thursday between the country’s armed forces and members of an armed group associated with the mainly-Muslim ex-Seleka coalition, which have fought with mainly Christian anti-Balaka elements, destabilizing the nation since 2013.

The United Nations and government forces in the Central African Republic (CAR) have declared a flashpoint district in the capital, Bangui, where recent clashes claimed dozens of lives, a "weapons-free" zone. More than 30 people were killed last week, … . But now the UN has stepped in, calling on both sides to disarm.