EU Briefing – United Nations Security Council: Central African Republic

Mr President, members of the Security Council, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am honoured to brief the UNSC on behalf of the European Union.

Since the signature in Bangui of the Peace Agreement, we note progress in its implementation; we also identify important areas to act; and we are concerned about setbacks, in terms of security and commitments of certain parties.  

The Agreement is the sole and only collective roadmap. The dynamic it created needs to be protected and strengthened. All actors should implement it in good faith.

The CAR Government, under the leadership of the President and the Prime minister, continues to deliver on their commitments. They deliver despite challenges and slow processes, mostly due to a lack of capacity.

State authority is slowly being restored. Armed Forces and Internal Security Forces are being deployed. The first batch of the Special Mixed Security Units – the SMSUs – is established in the West, an important transhumance part of the country. The UNSC has recognised the progress achieved in the security sector reform, which led to the easing of the arms embargo – we see this as a most welcome move.

We are also pleased to see that neighbouring countries more actively contribute to creating a positive climate for the implementation of the Peace Agreement. This needs to be further encouraged.

In certain areas we expect the Government to act with greater determination. These are the issue of transitional justice, an essential element of reconciliation and the fight against impunity.

We also encourage the authorities to move on, in parallel, on issues like decentralization, the status of former Heads of state or the Law on political parties. Government action could be more cohesive, by fully integrating and associating members originating from Armed Groups in the implementation of the Peace Agreement.

Taken together, these measures, along with the broad vulgarisation of the Peace Agreement, would give clear signals to the wider population that the political tide has definitely turned to the better, namely towards justice and the peaceful dealing with history.

If the people of CAR are to benefit from the Peace Agreement, more also needs to be done as regards the inclusion of civil society, political parties, the military and women in the peace process.

This brings me to the setbacks.

Even if some improvements in terms of security are to be noticed, the overall security situation remains fragile. Several Armed Groups continue attacks against civilians and against each other.

The DDRR process must be accelerated.

The Peace Agreement provides for all necessary mechanisms to respond to violations. Guarantors of the Agreement should not shy away from using the provisions of Article 35 of the Agreement to engage non-compliant Armed Groups. In particular, we support MINUSCA in their recent robust responses. MINUSCA's assertiveness gives a positive signal to the civilian victims of the conflict, particularly in the face of recent arrests of members of some Armed Groups.

I would like to take a moment to offer my sincere condolences, both to MINUSCA and to the families of those brave soldiers who recently lost their lives in a tragic helicopter accident. 

Parts of the security set-up are the Special Mixed Security Units. The first unit has just been launched in Bouar. Like our partners in Government, in the AU and the UN, we want to see more SMSUs being deployed. Demobilization, disarmament, vetting and training of combatants identified to join the SMSUs are critical steps in their establishment.

A few weeks ago, the EU, the AU and the UN conducted successfully a joint trilateral high-level mission that I had the pleasure and privilege to accompany.

It was encouraging to see that all three organisations agreed on these key elements for the SMSUs to work successfully. The EU will continue funding the SMSUs under these conditions. Our initial contribution of € 3.4 m is since May already with the African Union, to support USMS members.

Our EU Training Mission has trained FACA trainers in charge of training the SMSUs. We also fund AU Military Observers who shall monitor the deployment and activities of the USMS.

The launching of the first USMS has an important impact: several groups are now asking to join. Their members see a concrete, immediate opportunity to be reintegrated and return to normal life.

We stand ready to mobilize further support for the next phases. For that, MINUSCA's mandate must foresee the capacity to support the SMSUs.

Putting the SMSU in place is clearly important. However, this operation should not divert attention away from the DDRR process and the ongoing security sector reform.

Looking ahead, a critical juncture is in 2020 and 2021, with the elections.

Only a peaceful, inclusive and transparent process will help consolidate the country's democratic record.

The constitutional calendar should be respected; postponement is not an option. We hope political parties will act responsibly.

The EU is ready to provide financial and technical support; and we encourage other partners to join our efforts. Most important will be MINUSCA's support for the whole electoral process, in terms of security and logistics. We want to see MINUSCA's mandate to be explicitly amended to that effect.

Just a final word to update you on EU support to CAR. I mentioned already the EU Training Mission. It leads the reform of the defence sector, with strategic advice and operational training.

To date, EUTM has trained five FACA battalions. On 16 October, 1.020 recruits graduated from their EUTM training. I mentioned that the EUTM trained FACA trainers in charge of teaching future staff of the Mixed Units.

Altogether, 4.000 FACA staff of all grades and ranks have benefitted from EUTM operational training. And another 1.500 have accomplished courses in military domains, like human resources, logistics, planning and IT.

The EUTM will continue to work hand-in-hand with MINUSCA and other players, in full transparency. We expect MINUSCA's mandate to include provisions related to its support to the EUTM trained FACA personnel.

In parallel, we accompany the strengthening and countrywide deployment of the Internal Security Forces (ISF). Following President Touadéra's request, the EU is currently planning the deployment of a European advisory mission to CAR to further support the ISF.

The EU remains a trusted partner of CAR. All instruments combined, the EU has mobilized, since 2014, an envelope of €850 million. We have taken measures to accelerate and, where needed, realign our programmes so that the population rapidly benefits from peace dividends.

To give you just three figures, to illustrate what our Bêkou Trust Fund has achieved – in terms of health alone, the numbers of beneficiaries are impressive:

In the last reporting period, 1.7 million medical consultations helped people to recover; among which there were more than 80.000 children and pregnant women. Around 170.000 births were assisted by skilled birth attendants.

You find similar impressive figures in the areas of primary education, animal health, microfinance and textiles. Thousands of small farmers and their groups have been equipped and helped access the local markets.

In short, EU programmes in CAR make a difference.

A few months ago, Mrs Mogherini, High Representative and Vice President of the European Union, has been on an official visit to CAR. Both she and President Touadéra confirmed our shared commitment to work together for the ultimate benefit of the people of CAR. We know that the situation remains complex and fragile, with humanitarian problems and structural weaknesses. We will continue to work with our partners in the Government and civil society, with the African Union and the UN, and with the region. We will remain substantially engaged in the CAR Republic.

Mr. President, I thank you for your attention.