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Motion for a resolution - B8-0076/2017Motion for a resolution
B8-0076/2017

MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on Central African Republic

17.1.2017 - (2017/2507(RSP))

with request for inclusion in the agenda for a debate on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law
pursuant to Rule 135 of the Rules of Procedure

Charles Tannock, Mark Demesmaeker, Ryszard Antoni Legutko, Ryszard Czarnecki, Tomasz Piotr Poręba, Karol Karski, Monica Macovei, Branislav Škripek, Ruža Tomašić, Raffaele Fitto, Angel Dzhambazki, Notis Marias, Jana Žitňanská, Valdemar Tomaševski on behalf of the ECR Group

See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B8-0074/2017

Procedure : 2017/2507(RSP)
Document stages in plenary
Document selected :  
B8-0076/2017
Texts tabled :
B8-0076/2017
Votes :
Texts adopted :

B8‑0076/2017

European Parliament resolution on Central African Republic

(2017/2507(RSP))

The European Parliament,

- having regard to its previous resolutions on the situation in the Central African Republic, including that of 8 October 2015;

 

- having regard to the Cotonou Agreement of 23 June 2000 and its subsequent revisions;

 

- having regard to the UN-supported dialogue between armed groups aimed at ending violence in the Central African Republic;

 

- having regard to the outcome of the presidential elections in the Central African Republic of March 2016;

 

- having regard to previous Council conclusions on the situation in the Central African Republic;

 

- having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948;

 

- having regard to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child of 1989, and its Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict of 2000;

 

- having regard to the UN Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination based on Religion and Belief of 1981;

 

- having regard to the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide of 9 December 1948;

 

- having regard to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court;

 

- having regard to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights of 1981;

 

- having regard to the EU Guidelines on International Humanitarian Law;

 

- having regard to the report of the Secretary General of the United Nations on children and armed conflict in the Central African Republic of 12 February 2016;

 

- having regard to United Nations Security Council resolution 1612 on the use of child soldiers;

 

- having regard to United Nations Security Council resolution 2272 on sexual exploitation and abuse by UN peacekeepers;

 

- having regard to previous statements by the High Representative / Vice President of the Commission Federica Mogherini on the situation in the Central African Republic, including that of 17 November 2016;

 

- having regard to the conclusions of the conference on the Central African Republic, held in Brussels in November 2016;

 

- having regard to Rule 135 of its Rules of Procedure;

 

A. whereas the European Union is a key partner of the Central African Republic and the country's main donor; whereas relations are bound by the Cotonou Agreement;

 

B. whereas clashes between the mainly Muslim Seleka group and mainly Christian anti-Balaka group plunged the Central African Republic into conflict in 2013;

 

C. whereas the Central African Republic has been unstable since its independence in 1960 and is one of the least-developed countries in the world; whereas the country is described as a failed state in permanent crisis, faced with a mix of governance, economic, social, and humanitarian as well as security challenges;

 

D. whereas the overall human rights situation in the Central African Republic remains poor, with extra-judicial killings, kidnapping, banditry, sexual violence, arbitrary detention, torture, the recruitment of child soldiers, and the killing and maiming of children, matters of ongoing concern;

 

E. whereas inter-communal tensions and violence remain high with numerous reported cases of property destruction and killings;

 

F. whereas the already fragile education and health systems in the Central African Republic were severely affected by the conflict, with thousands of children deprived of their fundamental rights to education and basic health care;

 

G. whereas during the conflict schools and hospitals have been attacked, education and health personnel threatened and killed, and schools and hospitals used for military purposes;

 

H. whereas almost half of the country’s five million population are currently facing hunger and are in need of humanitarian assistance; whereas almost half a million people in the Central African Republic are internally displaced, and around half a million living as refugees in neighbouring countries;

 

I. whereas in December 2016 the UN World Food Programme warned that it risks ending its assistance to around 150,000 displaced persons in the Central African Republic due to a lack of funds; whereas the World Food Programme has warned that suspending such aid could fuel tensions in host communities and create additional security risks;

 

J. whereas despite some progress in ending the violence in the Central African Republic, and the successful conduct of Presidential elections in March 2016, the country remains in the grip of instability and unrest;

 

K. whereas the presence of more than 12,000 international peacekeepers has failed to put an end to the violence and revenge attacks;

 

L. whereas the weakness of the country’s government and political and judicial structures means perpetrators of war crimes and other violent acts go unpunished, with such allegations not properly investigated;

 

M. whereas efforts at security sector reform have been hampered by a lack of political engagement;

 

N. whereas allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse by international peacekeepers in the Central African Republic have undermined efforts to stabilise the country and lead the institutional change necessary for sustainable peace and reconciliation;

 

O. whereas aid workers and international peacekeepers have been targeted by armed groups, further undermining efforts to stabilise the country and support its citizens;

 

P. whereas between 6,000 to 10,000 children have been recruited by armed groups since 2013;

 

1. Regrets that almost 60 years since gaining independence from France, the Central African Republic remains a country plagued by instability, ethnic and religious tension, violence, weak political and civic structures, economic fragility, and humanitarian crises;

 

2. Strongly condemns all acts of violence in the Central African Republic, including the targeted killing of civilians on the basis of religion and ethnicity, and notes that despite efforts to end conflict in the country, inter-communal tensions remain high; Further strongly regrets that human rights abuses in the Central African Republic continue to be violated on a regular basis and with impunity;

 

3. Welcomes the United Nations-facilitated dialogue between armed groups in Central African Republic aimed at ending the violence; Strongly supports such efforts and encourages a deepening of dialogue over the coming months;

 

4. Expresses serious concern at reports of more than 60,000 cases of gender-based violence in the Central African Republic in 2015, and calls on the international community and government of the Central African Republic to provide all necessary support to victims;

 

5. Is further appalled by allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse by UN and other international peacekeepers in the Central African Republic and calls for such claims to be properly investigated and perpetrators held to account in line with UN Security Council resolution 2272;

 

6. Expresses serious concern at reports the UN World Food Programme may soon end assistance to 150,000 people in the Central African Republic due to a lack of funding;

 

7. Remains extremely concerned that almost half of the Central African Republic’s five million people are currently facing hunger, and calls on international donors to fulfil their commitments to support relief efforts;

 

8. Strongly condemns all attacks against international peacekeeping forces and aid workers by armed groups in the Central African Republic and calls on the authorities to investigate such incidents and bring the perpetrators to justice; Believes that such attacks are unacceptable and may constitute war crimes;

 

9. Calls for the free movement of aid workers to reach civilians in need;

 

10. Welcomes the fact the 2016 Presidential elections were conducted in a largely peaceful manner and calls on the EU, its Member States, and the international community more widely to support the CAR government in its task of bringing social, economic, and political stability to the country;

 

11. Further believes the successful legislative elections of 2016 and efforts to rebuild critical structures such as the judiciary will promote progress in this task; Strongly encourages meaningful political engagement at all levels in order to fulfil these goals;

 

12. Believes President Faustin-Archange Touadera and his government hold the key to reconciliation in Central African Republic, as well as bringing an end to impunity for recent violence, promoting sectoral reform to strengthen critical institutions, and in order to reintegrate refugees and internally displaced people;

 

13. Encourages the EU and its Member States to continue to work with the Central African Republic government in achieving such goals, including through diplomatic and financial support, and through international military and civilian missions;

 

14. Encourages the EU, its Member States, and the international community to assist the government of the Central African Republic, through financial and technical support, to establish a Special Criminal Court with a view to prosecuting those accused of being involved in recent violence;

 

15. Condemns the serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law perpetrated by all parties to the conflict in the Central African Republic in recruiting children as soldiers; Believes such actions, along with the violence and instability, have a devastating impact on children; Further encourages the international community and government of the Central African Republic to provide all necessary support to all child victims of such actions;

 

16. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the EEAS, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission, the parliaments and governments of the Member States, the United Nations Secretary General, the institutions of the African Union, the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly, and the President and Government of the Central African Republic.