Peacebuilding Office Head Says Accords Call for Ceasefire, Unity Government;
Top Envoy on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Country’s UN Representative Also Speak
The Secretary-General’s
Special Representative reported to the Security Council this morning
that agreements, including a ceasefire, had just been signed in
Libreville to contain the latest wave of rebellion in the Central
African Republic and define the modalities for power sharing and
political transition.
Speaking via
videoconference, Margaret Vogt, who heads the United Nations Integrated
Peacebuilding Office in the Central African Republic (BINUCA) — the
latest configuration of a United Nations presence that dates back a
decade — said the parties had agreed that President François Bozizé
would remain in power, a Prime Minister from the opposition would be
appointed, with full executive power, a Government of national unity
would be established, and legislative elections would be organized
within 12 months.
Also briefing the Council,
in the chamber, was the Secretary-General’s Special Representative on
Sexual Violence in Conflict. The Central African Republic’s Permanent
Representative also addressed the 15-member body.
Ms. Vogt said she was
hopeful that the three accords — a declaration of principles to resolve
the political and security crisis, a ceasefire agreement and a political
agreement — would contain the immediate flare-up, but she warned of
“another meltdown a few years down the line” if, like previous accords,
they were not implemented. Also crucial was clear investment in peace
and development “to prevent [ Central African Republic] from falling
down a slippery slope”.
As 2012 drew to a close,
she said, a coalition of rebel groups had launched an offensive against
the Government, basically overrunning half the country. They had not
faced much resistance from the national army, she said, attributing the
failure to repel the aggression to the “depth of decay within the armed
forces”. The national army had lost cohesion and the will to fight, and
many of the soldiers had “simply dropped their weapons and melted into
the bushes”.
In the face of that
inability to act, the international community had decided to pull out
its personnel, which “drove home to the regional leaders the critical
security challenges in the [Central African Republic]” and the need to
secure Bangui, she said. Subregional
leaders responded quickly with troop reinforcements; South Africa
deployed troops to Bangui, and France beefed up its forces. Newly
deployed troops were mandated to aggressively defend their positions and
Bangui, and the Mission for the consolidation of peace in Central
African Republic (MICOPAX), led by the Economic Community of Central
African States, had halted its plans to pull out.
Ms. Vogt, meanwhile, said
she had embarked on intensive diplomatic efforts, and contrary to
scepticism and the insistence by the rebel groups and political
opposition that President Bozizé had lost
all legitimacy, peace talks had begun, with all parties at the table.
Regional leaders appeared determined not to allow rebel overrun of the
country and to prevent a forceful removal of a democratically elected
Government. They were equally hard on President Bozizé
for his lack of openness. Backed into a corner, he had been forced to
concessions and to fulfil his promise to establish a national unity
Government, she said.
BINUCA had not anticipated
the scope or pace of the rebel assault, she acknowledged, but noted
that it had reported on divisions within the national army and political
leadership, partly engendered by rumours that the President planned to
change the Constitution to remain in power beyond the end of his
mandate, in 2016. It also knew that the disarmament, demobilization and
reintegration process, which was to have begun in January 2013, would
not benefit all fighting forces in the north-east, where there was scant
Government presence. Such an exercise in that area would need a
regional approach involving neighbouring countries.
She felt that the dramatic
events of the past week presented opportunities to “get the partners to
dialogue and to consult on how to pull the country back from the
brink”. The opportunity must be seized to put in place an effective
Government capable of addressing the country’s myriad challenges.
Follow-up to the first
Libreville Agreement, as well as the inclusive political dialogue, had
stalled, the country had become an “aid orphan”, and many of BINUCA’s
core activities remained underfunded, she said. Thus, she recommended
that BINUCA lead a strategic assessment of priorities and needs, and the
international community engage more forcefully, both diplomatically and
financially, in the situation.
Topping the list of
priorities was a functional and effective army and security force, and a
State presence throughout the territory, she said. Also important was
to pair disarmament, demobilization and reintegration with robust
political engagement on the ground and within the region. Also, the
Bretton Woods institutions should be engaged to cover post-conflict
reconstruction and recovery.
Describing the Central African Republic a “forgotten conflict”, Special Representative Zainab Bangura
recalled her fact-finding mission to the country, from 5 to
13 December 2012, to see first-hand the challenges to tackling
conflict-related sexual violence. The outbreak of violence had
accentuated the need to implement the immediate protection commitments
expressed in the two communiqués signed recently between Ms. Vogt and
the Central African Republic Government.
“At this critical moment,
the international community must send a strong and unequivocal message
that sexual violence is unacceptable and those who commit, command or
condone such crimes will be held to account,” she said.
Her visits to and meetings
with women and children, and national and local non-governmental
organizations, in Bangui and the towns of Bria and Paoua
revealed that both State and non-state actors, as well as the Lord’s
Resistance Army, were committing widespread sexual violence against
women and that such violence was a fundamental security issue in need of
an operational security response, she said. Women and girls were being
raped and abducted, forced into sexual slavery and marriage. The
situation was exacerbated by a deep “culture of silence” and denial
fuelled by stigma and a “culture of acceptance”.
The acute lack of
comprehensive information on the character and scope of the violations
made it difficult to assess and monitor the situation, punish
perpetrators and aid victims, she said. Obtaining such information was
critical. She also urged all armed forces and groups in the Central
African Republic to issue clear orders regarding sexual violence through
their respective chains of command, and investigate and hold
perpetrators to account. They must also release women and children who
had been forcibly recruited into the armed services.
“These protection measures
must be prerequisite elements of any new ceasefire agreement,” she
said. “Sexual violence must be included as part of the definition of
the ceasefire; and sexual violence crimes should be monitored as part of
the subsequent ceasefire monitoring arrangement or mechanism.”
While the 2008 Libreville
Agreement made reference to human rights, none of the more than
100 recommendations emerging from the peace dialogue focused on human
rights obligations and accountability for violations, she said. In
meetings with her, representatives of the politico-military groups
expressed a willingness to address sexual violence concerns. It was
crucial to hold them to their word so that such commitments were not
just “paper promises”.
She recounted how during her visit to Bria, the Convention des Patriotes pour la justice et la paix
(CPJP) national rebel group, had agreed to release children in its
custody to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). But, the day
before the handover, most of the identified children were moved
30 kilometres from the handover location. Child protection teams were
only able to access one boy and two girls. In the end, CPJP’s
cadres on the ground refused to release the two girls, which they
claimed were “wives” of combatants. That incident illustrated the
special challenges to securing the release of women and girls from armed
groups.
United Nations agencies
and non-governmental organizations were struggling to work in a context
of continued insecurity, she said. Few, if any, social services existed
in the countryside. The local hospital in Paoua,
which served 200,000 people, only had one doctor, and only one
qualified lawyer was based outside of country’s capital. Despite
several steps, including important legislative reforms to address sexual
violence, national institutions were ill-equipped and State authority
and structures were absent in most areas outside Bangui.
She argued for a more
strategic, concerted regional approach to the Central African
Republic. Leaders and combatants of many of the politico-military
groups had connections to Chad and were of Chadian origin. That
challenged the sense of ownership and their commitment to the peace
process. Her fact-finding trip aimed to deepen dialogue and cooperation
with the Bangui Government to help it create national ownership,
leadership and responsibility.
Ms. Bangura
was working to ensure deployment to the Central African Republic in
February or March of a team of rule of law experts to help BINUCA and
the United Nations country team prepare an implementation strategy and
plan to end sexual violence, pursuant to the Joint Communiqués. She
urged the Council and Member States to prioritize and support
deployment of a women protection adviser to BINUCA to help Ms. Vogt
implement Council resolutions 1820 (2008), 1888 (2009), 1960 (2010) and
the Joint Communiqués. She encouraged the Organization, particularly
through the UN Action Network, to once again focus on advocacy and
programmes to aid sexual violence victims in the Central African
Republic and to monitor and report on violations. A greater global
focus, more sustained donor aid and an integrated response were urgently
needed.
Charles-Armel Doubane
of the Central African Republic, welcomed the progress achieved, and
said that, despite continuing difficulties, his Government had been
establishing the rule of law until the offensive. However, by then, the
international community was showing signs of fatigue; the
videoconference with Ms. Vogt had reflected that fact. She had been
governing from Yaounde, Cameroon’s capital, and not from Bangui, and had submitted her report from Libreville.
The Government and people
of his country were tired of the instability and insecurity caused by
the abusive and easy use of the rifle to settle disputes, among other
aspects of the situation, he declared. “Together we have said that we
finally understand.” The recent meeting of Heads of State of the
Economic Community of Central African States discussed how to facilitate
the Libreville Agreement and address challenges to implementing it.
Everyone was now convinced
that the Libreville Agreement was “the only lifeline for the Central
African Republic,” he said. The fact that the people of Central
African Republic and the entire international community favoured
dialogue gave hope that the new Agreement would be put into practice.
The signing of the Agreement had eased tensions somewhat. His
Government was committed to follow-up and implementation of its
recommendations and decisions. Parties were committed to national
reconciliation. He thanked all, who despite many challenges, had
continued to support Central African Republic’s search for peace and
stability.
For its consideration of
the situation, the Council had before it today the latest report of the
Secretary-General, issued on 21 December 2012, in which he recommends
renewal of BINUCA’s mandate for another year, until 31 January 2014 (document S/2012/956). Its current mandate is set to expire on 31 January.
