Populations in the Central African Republic are at risk of possible atrocity crimes due to ongoing violence by armed groups and government and allied forces.

BACKGROUND:

During December 2020 a loose alliance of predatory armed groups, known as the Coalition des patriotes pour le changement (CPC), launched a violent offensive against the government of the Central African Republic (CAR). For more than three years the CPC and other armed groups have perpetrated violent attacks, committing International Humanitarian Law (IHL) violations, including killing and abducting civilians, the forcible recruitment of children and attacks on civilian infrastructure, humanitarian workers and the UN peacekeeping mission (MINUSCA). The Central African Armed Forces (FACA) – working closely with Russian security partners, including mercenary fighters from the Wagner Group (now Africa Corps) – have responded with counteroffensives, forcing armed groups to withdraw from major cities.

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) reported that two CPC-affiliated armed groups, including the Unité pour la paix en Centrafrique (UPC), have perpetrated systematic and widespread conflict-related sexual violence, including rape, gang rape and sexual slavery. Some armed groups frequently use or lay landmines and explosive ordnance, particularly in the west and northwest. According to the UN Secretary-General, the number of child casualties due to explosive ordnance increased by 280 percent between July 2021-June 2023.

The UN has also documented abuses and violations by FACA and mercenaries that may amount to war crimes, including summary executions, arbitrary killings, torture, rape and forced disappearances. According to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), Russian mercenaries have reportedly killed over 900 civilians, making them the armed actor that has killed the most civilians in CAR since December 2020.

During March 2023 the Azande Ani Kpi Gbe (AAKG), a predominantly ethnic Azande armed group, emerged in Haut-Mbomou. Throughout the past year the AAKG has sporadically clashed with the UPC, a predominantly Fulani armed group and has forcibly recruited Azande youth and targeted Fulani and Muslim communities with threats and abductions. Ethnic and religious minorities, particularly Fulani and Muslims, have also been disproportionately targeted – including attacks, ill-treatment, illegal arrests and detentions – in operations by FACA troops and Russian mercenaries. OHCHR has previously implicated proxy forces – who were recruited, trained and armed by FACA and mercenaries – in incidents targeting and punishing Muslim and Fulani communities that may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity. The police have also arbitrarily arrested, illegally detained and tortured members of the Fulani community.

Government institutions have cracked down on human rights defenders, independent media and the opposition in recent years. MINUSCA has recorded cases of hate speech and incitement targeting ethnic and religious communities and against dissenting voices. At times such discourse has resulted in intimidation, threats and acts of violence. In March 2024 authorities arrested prominent opposition leader Mboli Goumba and sent him to a police unit notorious for perpetrating abuses, including torture and executions. On 27 March Goumba was sentenced for defamation and contempt of court.

The protracted crisis in CAR has its origins in the overthrow of President François Bozizé during March 2013 by the mainly Muslim Séléka rebel alliance. Abuses by the Séléka led to the formation of predominantly Christian anti-balaka militias and the collapse of state institutions. Anti-balaka and ex-Séléka forces may have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity between 2013-2015. Although a 2019 peace deal formally ended the conflict, armed groups continued to engage in sporadic violence. Trials are ongoing at the International Criminal Court for former anti-balaka leaders and a Séléka leader. The Special Criminal Court (SCC) has charged 45 people for war crimes and/or crimes against humanity while at least 25 cases remain under investigation. In April the SCC publicly issued an arrest warrant against François Bozizé – who is living in Guinea Bissau – on multiple counts of crimes against humanity committed during his presidency.

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS:

Armed group activity and routine IHL violations and human rights abuses continue, particularly in remote and border areas. The UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women has raised concern about the disproportionate risk of extrajudicial killings, displacement and forced disappearances for rural women, while in April the UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence said women and girls tending to farmland face the persistent risk of rape by armed actors.

The AAKG and UPC have launched renewed attacks in Haut-Mbomou since February, increasingly targeting civilians along ethnic and religious lines. Between 2-13 April more than 30 civilians were killed by armed groups in Ouham-Pendé, Mbomou and Haut-Mbomou. During May MINUSCA deployed peacekeepers to Bambouti to protect civilians following a series of clashes between the AAKG and UPC that resulted in civilian casualties.

In March Russian mercenaries carried out several attacks on mining sites in Ouham, allegedly killing 60 civilians and forcing survivors to carry looted goods and gold. According to ACLED, civilian targeting by mercenaries in March reached the deadliest level recorded since February 2022. In March the government confirmed the deployment of “Russian instructors” to support FACA in Obo, an isolated town in Haut-Mbomou, raising fears among community members. Mercenary operatives and FACA have reportedly trained AAKG fighters in Obo.

ANALYSIS:

The security situation remains precarious in certain areas amid heightened inter-communal tensions and recurrent attacks on civilians. The presence of explosive ordnance primarily harms civilians and impedes the delivery of humanitarian aid.

The targeting of ethnic and religious communities and hate speech heighten atrocity risks and may trigger further violence along communal, religious and ethnic lines. Renewed attacks by the UPC and AAKG, as well as the alleged training of AAKG fighters, risks further inflaming inter-communal tensions in Haut-Mbomou and raises critical human rights concerns.

CAR has a history of widespread impunity that has fueled cycles of armed conflict and atrocities. While there are several mechanisms mandated to deal with international crimes perpetrated in CAR, accountability remains limited with few alleged perpetrators having been arrested, prosecuted or tried for war crimes and crimes against humanity since 2013.

Competition for control of profitable minerals has resulted in abuses against civilians. Wagner operatives, who have a record of alleged abuses in conflict zones around the world, have committed human rights abuses and targeted civilians as they increase their control of mining areas.

RISK ASSESSMENT:

• • Ongoing security crisis caused by, among other factors, defection from a peace agreement, lack of commitment to a ceasefire and armed activity at mineral-rich areas.
  • Acts of violence against vulnerable populations, particularly minority groups, women and children.
  • Escalating violence targeting civilians based on ethnicity and religion, increasing likelihood of retaliatory attacks and displacement.
  • Training and use of abusive armed groups as proxies.
  • Repressive measures imposed by authorities to close civic space and suppress dissent, resulting in a climate of fear ahead of planned local elections in 2024 and presidential elections in 2025.

NECESSARY ACTION:

All armed actors must adhere to their obligations under IHL and International Human Rights Law. CAR authorities must instruct FACA to cease collusion or cooperation with armed groups. CAR authorities must guarantee the independence of institutions, respect freedom of peaceful assembly and association, strengthen and protect civic space and counter incitement to violence, particularly ahead of the planned local elections.

Provincial and local authorities, in coordination with civil society, should implement community-based atrocity prevention and response strategies, including dialogue and mediation to address and mitigate the risks of inter-communal tensions.

All perpetrators of atrocities in CAR should be held legally accountable, regardless of their political status, rank, affiliation or nationality. The government should prioritize accountability by launching and operationalizing all courts intending to address cases of human rights violations and abuses. All suspects subject to SCC arrest warrants – whether in CAR or neighboring countries – should be taken into custody. The international community should ensure that the SCC has sufficient resources to carry out its mandate.