MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the Central African Republic
6.10.2015 - (2015/2874(RSP))
pursuant to Rule 135 of the Rules of Procedure
Norbert Neuser, Victor Boştinaru, Josef Weidenholzer, Richard Howitt, Pier Antonio Panzeri, Elena Valenciano, Eric Andrieu, Nikos Androulakis, Zigmantas Balčytis, Hugues Bayet, Goffredo Maria Bettini, José Blanco López, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Biljana Borzan, Paul Brannen, Nicola Caputo, Andrea Cozzolino, Andi Cristea, Viorica Dăncilă, Isabella De Monte, Jonás Fernández, Monika Flašíková Beňová, Doru-Claudian Frunzulică, Eider Gardiazabal Rubial, Enrico Gasbarra, Elena Gentile, Neena Gill, Michela Giuffrida, Maria Grapini, Sylvie Guillaume, Sergio Gutiérrez Prieto, Anna Hedh, Cătălin Sorin Ivan, Liisa Jaakonsaari, Jude Kirton-Darling, Javi López, Olle Ludvigsson, Krystyna Łybacka, Andrejs Mamikins, Louis-Joseph Manscour, David Martin, Csaba Molnár, Alessia Maria Mosca, Victor Negrescu, Momchil Nekov, Demetris Papadakis, Vincent Peillon, Tonino Picula, Miroslav Poche, Inmaculada Rodríguez-Piñero Fernández, Daciana Octavia Sârbu, Siôn Simon, Tibor Szanyi, Claudia Tapardel, Marc Tarabella, Daniele Viotti, Boris Zala, Flavio Zanonato, Damiano Zoffoli on behalf of the S&D Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B8-1000/2015
The European Parliament,
– having regard to its previous resolutions of 17 January 2013, 12 September 2013 and 12 December 2013 on the situation in the CAR,
– having regard to the resolutions of the EU-ACP JPA of 19 June 2013, 19 March 2014 and 17 June 2015 on the CAR,
– 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 by the EEAS Spokesperson on the violence in the Central African Republic of 28 September 2015
– having regard to the Council Conclusions on the situation in Central African Republic, notably of 9 February 2015
– having regard to United Nations (UN) Security Council Resolutions on the situation in Central African Republic, notably 2217 (2015) of 28 April 2015 2196(2015) of 22 January 2015 and 2212 (2015) of 26 march 2015
– having regard to the Final Report of the International Commission of Inquiry on the Central African Republic of 19 December 2014
– having regard to the conclusions of the 7th Meeting of the International Contact Group on the Central African Republic, Brazzaville, 16 March 2015
– having regard to the 1998 Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), ratified by the CAR in 2001,
– having regard to the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights of 1966, the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women of 1979, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights of 1981, ratified by the Central African Republic in 1986, and the International Convention on the Rights of the Child of 1989, which prohibits the involvement of children in armed conflict and which the Central African Republic has ratified,
– having regard to the communiqué issued by the African Union’s Peace and Security Council on 17 September 2014 and on 26 March 2015,
– having regard to the Libreville Agreement of 11 January 2013 on the resolution of the politico-military crisis in the Central African Republic (CAR), signed under the aegis of the heads of state and government of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), which sets out the conditions for ending the crisis in the CAR,
– having regard to the revised Cotonou Agreement,
– having regard to its rule 135
A. whereas the Central African Republic is a country which is on the verge of collapse, with no rule of law and weak fundamental institutions, and is one of the poorest countries in the world despite its many natural resources:
B. whereas on 25 March 2013, the Séléka Coalition operated a coup d'état against President Bozizé and the leader Michel Djotodia auto-proclaimed himself as leader;
C. whereas the transition Government and National Transitional Council was unable to halt the spiralling economic and social collapse of the country;
D. whereas following the resignation of Michel Djotodaia in January 2014, Catherine Samba-Panza was elected President of the transition;
E. whereas the Bangui Forum was set up by the President to prepare national reconciliation and all military leaders committed to the process;
F. whereas an International Contact Group on the CAR was established in May 2013 to coordinate regional, continent-wide and international action in order to find a lasting solution to the country’s recurrent problems,
G. whereas a special criminal court was created by the NTC in April 2015 to repair victims of human rights abuses;
H. whereas sectarian and religious violence erupted which cause thousands of deaths and more than 200 000 internally displaced and refugees;
I. whereas since 26 September alone, 50 people were killed, a hundred injured and 30 000 displaced
J. whereas the EU is the main development partner and provider of humanitarian assistance of the Central African Republic;
K. whereas in February 2014 the EU set up a military operation EUFOR RCA, led by the French,; which was replaced in March 215 by the EU MAM RCA, an EU Military Advisory Mission
L. whereas on 15 July 2014 the EU launched its first ever multi-donor development trust fund in support of the Central African Republic aiming at enabling the transition from emergency response towards long-term development assistance;
1. Strongly condemns the ongoing and increasingly disturbing violence which has caused many deaths and forced hundreds of thousands to flee; deplores the loss of lives and expresses its sympathy to the families of the victims and to the whole people of Central African Republic;
2. Welcomes the efforts of the transitional government but calls on the CAR transitional authorities to address the root causes of the crisis such as the widespread poverty, the regional disparities and inequalities and to reinforce the governmental structures and administration to fight corruption and promote an inclusive economic recovery;
3. Regrets the continuing interethnic tensions, the presence of rebel groups in many regions and the culture of impunity which may exacerbate interreligious clashes;
4. Insists that a functioning judicial system is indispensable for all violation of human rights and international humanitarian law to be investigated and punished; therefore strongly welcomes the creation of a special criminal court and calls for its immediate implementation through a public, reasonable and realisitc budget and transparent and efficient recrutiment of staff;
5. Calls CAR’s government to support the International Criminal Court’s investigation on war crimes and crimes against humanity committed;.
6. Urges the African Union and the European Union to use all appropriate measures and tools to help the transitional government overcome the implosion of an already fragile state, interethnic escalation and the continued strength of competing militias and transition towards a functioning, inclusive and democratic state; notably through the Instrument for Stability and Peace and the African Peace Facility and African Standby Force;
7. Calls or an international pledging meeting for donors as soon as possible;
8. Welcomes the peace agreement signed between Seleka and Anti-Balaka militias in Kenya; regrets however that CAR’s transitional government is not included in the talks;
9. Welcomes the setting up the Bangui Forum for reconciliation and peace and urges for the unconditional participation of all political, military and religious leaders as well as local communities and civil society, and insists that democratic elections must take place;
10. Underlines the geographic strategic position of CAR in containing the expansion of terrorism in Central Africa;
11. Deplore the destruction of public archives and registers by militias; urges the EU to support CAR’s restoration of the public registry and also to prevent any electoral irregularities;
12. Notes that cattle is both a source of wealth and a cause of violence in the region; calls CAR’s government and OCHA to locate the areas at risk of violent confrontation between pastoralists and Anti-Balaka militias and local communities.
13. Recalls that only a comprehensive approach focused on security, humanitarian aid, stabilisation and development cooperation will bring an end to the crisis in Central African Republic; urges CAR’s government to make the reconstruction of the education system a priority, in order to facilitate long term pacific coexistence;
14. Asks the EU to pursue its LRRD approach through the multi-donor trust fund in order to contribute to the reconstruction of the country;
15. Urges that the girls and women victims of rape in the context of armed conflict be offered the full range of sexual and reproductive health services, in EU-funded humanitarian facilities, in accordance with the Geneva Conventions' common Article 3 guaranteeing all necessary medical care required by the wounded and sick's condition, and without adverse distinction;
16. Calls on the EU, the AU, the international community to support the refugees from Central African Republic in neighbouring countries; urges the EU Member States, together with the African Union Member States, to immediately set up a credible and holistic European system to manage the migration routes from Sub-Saharan Africa to the Middle-East and Northern Africa, offer sustainable development solutions to the origin countries such as the Central African Republic and bring an end to the human tragedies taking place on these routes; regrets that the newly created “Emergency Trust Fund for stability and addressing root causes of irregular migration and displaced persons in Africa” will not benefit to the Central African Republic;
17. Urges the EU to address the transparency of trade of all natural resources, including gold, diamonds and wildlife poaching, in order to avoid any fuelling of conflicts by any company; calls on the CAR authorities and foreign companies to help strengthen governance in the extractives sector by abiding to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative; asks for a strong binding EU legislation which would prevent any companies from importing or using on the EU market minerals that finance conflicts;
18. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the transitional institutions of the Central African Republic, the EU High Reprehensive, the Commission, the parliaments and governments of the Member States, the institutions of the African Union, the ACP Council, the International Organisation of La Francophonie (IOF), the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) and the Secretary-General of the United Nations.