MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on Central African Republic
17.1.2017 - (2017/2507(RSP))
pursuant to Rule 135 of the Rules of Procedure
Ignazio Corrao, Fabio Massimo Castaldo, Piernicola Pedicini, Isabella Adinolfi, Laura Agea, Laura Ferrara, Rolandas Paksas on behalf of the EFDD Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B8-0074/2017
The European Parliament,
-having regard to its previous resolutions on the Central African Republic (CAR),
-having regard to the ACP-EU JPA resolution on the situation in the Central African Republic (CAR) of 19 June 2013, 19 March 2014 and of 17 June 2015,
-having regard to the Statements by the High Representative on the situation in Central African Republic, notably of 13 October 2014,
-having regard to the statement of the EEAS spokesperson of 6 January 2017 on the attacks in the Central African Republic,
-having regard to the report of 11 January 2017of Amnesty International “The long wait for Justice: accountability in Central African Republic”;
-having regard to the Brussels Conference for the Central African Republic of November 17th 2016;
-having regard to the Cotonou Agreement,
A. whereas despite some progress and successful elections, the Central African Republic (CAR) has remained in the hands of armed groups, continuing the civil conflict between the mainly Muslim Séléka rebel coalition and anti-Balaka militia, that started in 2013 and affected millions of people;
B. whereas armed groups allegedly manipulated by politicians who are against the government. have perpetuated the violence of the last months,
C. whereas eleven out of the 13 armed groups are in talks with government and United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) trying to elaborate a sound and fair peace dialogue, but there are others who are still creating instability in the country;
D. whereas since the beginning of 2017 three UN peace keepers have been killed in two different attacks in the country in the north-west and east of the country;
E. whereas according to Vladimir Monteiro, MINUSCA's spokesman in Bangui such attacks are not only on UN peacekeepers, but also target humanitarian actors and the civilian population.
F. whereas new clashes and renewed deadly violence in the country forced more than 20,000 people to flee to a UN base to get protection from violence last September 2016;
G. whereas tensions in the town of Kaga Bandero, in northern CAR, have forced humanitarian workers to suspend relief efforts in the area, leaving thousands vulnerable including children and women;
H. whereas the suspension of some humanitarian activities because of security concerns affected affect 120,000 food insecure people and 35,000 others living precariously in surrounding camps for internally displaced people;
I. whereas thousands of victims of human rights abuses are still waiting for justice to be served, while individuals who have committed horrific crimes like murder and rape enjoy impunity and roam free.
J. whereas targeting peacekeepers as well as any other violent activity against the humanitarian organisations and the civil population is a war crime according to the ICC Statute of Rome;
K. whereas the February 2015 election with the appointment of President Faustin Touadera was seen as a step toward reconciliation, but impunity and a continued lack of justice had contributed to an increase of the violent clashes of the recent months;
L. whereas as confirmed by the Brussels Conference for the Central African Republic, the CAR Government urgently needs to implement a plan for rebuilding and consolidating peace, disarming, demobilising and reintegration of armed groups, and by combating impunity.
M. whereas the financial effort to rebuilt the country is estimated at 6 billion USD for next three years;
N. whereas the respect for human rights is a mandatory essential element of the international agreements approved by CAR, including the Cotonou agreement;
O. whereas the illegal trade in rough diamonds through border towns of Gbitti, Kentzou and Garoua-Boulai in eastern Cameroon provides a steady source of income for rebel groups on both sides of the Central African Republic’s bloody conflict;
P. Whereas according to the Kimberley Process certification scheme, the Central African Republic should not be able to trade its diamonds however rough diamonds certification rules are lax and it seems that there are Kimberley Process officials, who will certify – for the right price – that gems from across the border are conflict free, whatever their origin.
1. Reiterates its deep concern over the situation in the Central African Republic, where the ghosts of an horrific civil war are strongly coming back;
2. deplores the abandon of humanitarian activities, the loss of lives and expresses its condolences to the families of the three UN peacekeepers and to all the victims of the last months’ violence and to the whole people of Central African Republic;
3. Strongly condemns the attacks against the UN peacekeepers in humanitarian organizations and residences during the latest outbreak of violence;
4. Reiterates its call on CAR's authorities to focus on fighting against impunity and the re-establishment of rule of law,
5. Calls on international community to provide sufficient financial assistance to fully fund the plan to support the CAR National Recovery and Peacebuilding Plan 2017-2021.
6. Supports the political process in CAR at this critical time and enhance common efforts to facilitate political dialogue, build trust and ensure peaceful co-existence between religious communities in the country; urges CAR’s government to make the reconstruction of the education system a priority, in order to facilitate long term pacific coexistence
7. Urges the CAR diamond traders to prove due diligence and the international diamond companies to address Kimberly Process failures in the diamond supply chain from the CAR; calls on the CAR authorities and foreign companies to help strengthen governance in the extractives sector by abiding to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative;
8. Calls on neighbouring countries and in particular on Cameroon authorities to check origin of diamonds certified in its own borders and avoid trading illicitly extracted in CAR;
9. Calls to the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights and MINUSCA to monitor, investigate and publicly report on allegations of abuses and crimes under international law by all sides in the conflict, ensuring that human rights monitors are deployed in adequate numbers, both in Bangui and in the provinces.
10. Calls to the To the UN Security Council to continually assess the capacity of MINUSCA of delivering its mandate which notably includes the disarmament and demobilisation of fighters; Invites the UN authorities to clarify open issues concerning the contracts with BADICA, a company on UN sanctions list for allegedly fuelling the conflict in Central African Republic through the sale of ‘blood diamonds’,
11. Calls on World Bank, the United Nations and the European Union to help the CAR authorities in developing a consensus on needs and priorities for the next five years requested the support from the prepare a joint Recovery and Peace Building Assessment.
12. Calls to MINUSCA and CAR authorities to ensure allegations of serious crimes committed by members of armed groups and militias in CAR are promptly and independently investigated and those reasonably suspected of being responsible for these crimes are tried in proceedings that fully respect international fair trial standards with no recourse to the death penalty;
13. Calls to CAR authorities:
a. to arrest suspected perpetrators of human rights violations to refrain from appointing individuals suspected of human rights abuses and crimes under international law to public positions as civil servants or military;
b. Make any necessary revision to national criminal legislation to ensure that it conforms with international standards, and in particular, revise the definitions of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in the Criminal Code.
c. to rebuild the national justice system;
d. To ensure that the offices of the prosecutors, the investigative judges, as well as justice members of the national gendarmerie in charge of investigating crimes, are equipped with means of communication, security and mobility they need, and provided with physical protection.;
e. Give higher priority to the justice sector in the allocation of state resources so it can function effectively.
14. Calls to CAR authorities, MINUSCA and UNDP to set up the Special Criminal Court as soon as possible appointing international and national judges and staff, ensuring that the selection process is independent, transparent, and merit-based.
15. Calls to the ICC to investigate with a view to prosecuting crimes committed by all parties to the conflict on the basis of the same objective criteria, to issue arrest warrants for suspected high-level perpetrators from all sides to the conflict
16. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Government authorities of CAR, Council, the Commission, HR/VP Federica Mogherini, the UN Security Council, the UN Secretary General, the institutions of the African Union, The republic of Cameroon, , the ACP-EU Parliamentary Assembly and the EU Member States.