MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the Central African Republic
6.10.2015 - (2015/2874(RSP))
pursuant to Rule 135 of the Rules of Procedure
Judith Sargentini, Maria Heubuch, Heidi Hautala, Jordi Sebastià, Bart Staes, Michèle Rivasi, Barbara Lochbihler, Ernest Urtasun, Bodil Valero, Tamás Meszerics, Davor Škrlec, Igor Šoltes on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B8-1000/2015
The European Parliament,
- having regard to its previous resolution of 18 March 2014 on the CAR,
- having regard to the joint ACP-EU Parliamentary Assembly resolution on CAR from 17 June 2015,
- having regard to the revised Partnership Agreement between the members of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States and the European Community signed in Cotonou on 23 June 2000 (the Cotonou Agreement),
- having regard to the Libreville Agreements of 11 January 2013,the N'Djamena Declaration of 18 April 2013, the Constitutional Charter for the Transition of 18 July 2013 as well as the Cessation of Hostilities agreement signed in Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo, on 23 July 2014,
- having regard to the establishment of an International Contact Group on the CAR in May 2013 to coordinate regional, continent-wide and international action in order to find a lasting solution to the country’s recurrent problems,
- having regard to Article 4(h) of the Constitutive Act of the African Union (AU), which declares "[t]he right of the Union to intervene in a Member State pursuant to a decision of the Assembly in respect of grave circumstances, namely war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity",
- having regard to the EU Council conclusions on the Central African Republic of 9 February and 20 June 2015,
- having regard to the report (S/2014/928) of the International Commission of Inquiry to investigate international human rights and humanitarian laws violation and abuses in CAR,
- having regard to the UN Secretary General's report of 29 July 2015,
- having regard to the UN Security Council resolutions 2127 (2013), 2134 (2014) and 2217 (2015),
- having regard to the 15 May 2015 UN Evaluation Report on Enforcement and Remedial Assistance Efforts for Sexual Exploitation and Abuse by the United Nations and Related Personnel in Peacekeeping Operations,
- having regard to the September 11 UN Secretary General report on the recommendations of the High Level Independent Panel on Peace Operations,
- having regard to the 1998 Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), ratified by the CAR in 2001,
- having regard to the Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which has been signed by the CAR,
- - having regard to the Universal declaration on Human Rights,
- - having regard to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,
- - having regard to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights,
- - having regard to Rule 135 of its Rules of Procedure,
A. Whereas the CAR has faced chronic instability, rebellions, coups and upsurges of violence for decades,
B. Whereas widespread poverty, strong economic disparities, weak and often inexistent state structures are the main reasons for the CAR's chronic instability,
C. Whereas the 2013 coup and the subsequent ousting of power of the Transitional Head of State, Michel Djotodia, and of the Transitional Prime Minister, Nicolas Tiangaye was accompanied by massive and severe human rights violations with a clear risk of genocide including extrajudicial killings, torture, looting, large scale rapes and sexual abuses, abduction of women and children and forced recruitment of child soldiers,
D. Whereas little effective action to halt abuses and bring the perpetrators to justice was taken essentially due to lack of police facilities and the absence of a functioning judicial system,
E. Whereas some 2.5 million people in CAR – over half of the population – are in dire need of immediate assistance, while 900,000 people have been displaced, including to neighbouring countries,
F. Whereas around 1.5 million people are food insecure, which in turn may lead to increasing nutrition problems, and less than 35% of the population has access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation facilities,
G. Whereas rebels and military forces from neighbouring countries have infiltrated the CAR,
H. Whereas the overall security situation had improved since 2013, outbreaks of sectarian violence took place again in Bangui recently claiming at least 42 lives and leading to 27.000 people fleeing their homes and the access for humanitarian aid in numerous areas remains highly difficult; while violence in western parts of the country has waned, it has increased in central and eastern areas where grave human rights violations continue away from the eyes and ears of the international community due to attacks on civilians by armed groups; the overall security situation is therefore once more extremely worrying,
I. Whereas in these remote areas, hundreds of people have died and tens of thousands have been displaced over the past 12 months;
J. Whereas the upsurge in violence was sparked by the murder of a young Muslim man on 26 September in the capital, Bangui,
K. Whereas according to the International Red Cross the renewed violence has forced 27,000 people to flee their homes in Bangui over a period of only six days, adding to the 365,000 Central Africans already internally displaced by the three-year-old conflict in the country,
L. Whereas illicit trade and extraction of diamonds and timber fuel the conflict by contributing to the financing of armed groups;
M. Whereas timber has overtaken diamonds as CAR's number one export and Europe is the premier destination for CAR wood;
N. Whereas the 15 May 2015 UN Evaluation Report on Enforcement and Remedial Assistance Efforts for Sexual Exploitation and Abuse by the United Nations and Related Personnel in Peacekeeping Operations revealed a shocking scope of these crimes, i.e. 480 allegations between 2008 and 2013;
O. Whereas under mediation of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), a transition roadmap was agreed in April 2013, including the establishment of a balanced National Transitional Council, the definition of an 18-month transition period, the organisation of elections and the creation of an International Contact Group (ICG) to facilitate cooperation,
P. Whereas the EU and France deployed military missions in order to prevent a possible genocide and reduce widespread tensions between communities and paved the way to a fully-fledged UN peacekeeping mission which has been deployed over the whole territory of the CAR,
Q. Whereas the International Criminal Court (ICC) has opened an investigation into possible war crimes in the CAR,
R. Whereas a high commission for disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration and security sector reform has been established within the office of the Prime Minister,
S. Whereas on 5 May 2015 armed groups in CAR have reached an agreement to release 6.000 to 10.000 child soldiers;
1. While recognising that the security situation in the Central African Republic had improved during the last months, is deeply worried by the renewed outbreak of violence in the capital Bangui and remains deeply concerned about the humanitarian situation, the highly problematic security situation characterised by the presence of numerous rival armed groups throughout the country and the risks of political instability throughout the CAR;
2. Underlines that massive human rights violations due to attacks by armed groups on civilians that take place in central and Eastern CAR, often undetected by the CAR and international authorities;
3. Condemns the recent outbreak of violence in the capital Bangui and asks the warring factions to guarantee humanitarian access and cease their attacks on civilians;
4. Remains concerned by the ongoing lack of access to many parts of the country when it comes to humanitarian aid;
5. Remains firmly committed to a sustainable process of recovery from the crisis and considers the agreements reached at Libreville in January 2013, N'Djamena in April 2013 and Brazzaville in July 2014, which have been endorsed by the UN Security Council, to constitute the essential framework of reference for all national, regional and international stakeholders;
6. Reaffirms its full support for the work of the transitional authorities and commends the work carried out by the transitional Central African authorities; welcomes the Bangui Forum, which is a crucial step towards national reconciliation;
7. Commends the ECCAS for its crucial role in the setting up of the transition process and the firm stance at the consultations in Addis Ababa on 31 January 2015 regarding any parallel initiative which might jeopardise the current efforts of the international community to restore peace, security and stability in the CAR;
8. Recalls that the Central African Republic authorities have the primary responsibility to protect all populations in the CAR in particular from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity;
9. Welcomes the 10 May 2015 peace accord between a large number of armed groups and the CAR Ministry of Defence on disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration and calls for its rapid implementation;
10. Commends the EU for its comprehensive financial support package for economic development and statebuilding;
11. Considers that the EU has been and continues to be an important element in international stabilisation efforts in the CAR; recalls that the EU is the main partner of the CAR in terms of assistance and humanitarian aid;
12. Calls on the EU-Commission, Member States and other international actors to do their utmost in order to support the organisation of the elections as foreseen in the transition road-map, especially by contributing to the UNDP-managed electoral assistance programme, so that elections can take place before the end of this year, thus fulfilling a key element of the transition road-map;
13. Welcomes the suspension from the CAR from the Kimberley process and the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative due to the ongoing financing of armed groups through often unlawful access to natural resources; but is concerned that CAR’s diamond companies could soon start exporting diamonds stockpiled during the on-going conflict as the export ban in place since May 2013 will be partially lifted once the government meets conditions set in July 2015 by the Kimberley Process.
14. Invites the CAR authorities to develop a nationally-owned strategy to tackle the illicit exploitation and trafficking networks of natural resources;
15. Suggests to the UN to create a cell within the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) to fight against diamonds, timber, gold, ivory trafficking and militarised poaching;
16. Calls on international diamond companies to look closely at the origin of diamonds in order to avoid fueling the conflict by purchasing illicitly extracted and traded diamonds from the CAR; urges European companies that are trading with CAR logging companies to abide by the EU timber regulation and calls on the EU to robustly enforce its EU Timber Regulation against importers of CAR timber;
17. Notes the 15 May 2015 UN Evaluation Report on Enforcement and Remedial Assistance Efforts for Sexual Exploitation and Abuse by the United Nations and Related Personnel in Peacekeeping Operations; is shocked by the alarming scope of these crimes, 480 allegations between 2008 and 2013, and the failure to hold perpetrators to account; is deeply shocked by recent sexual child abuse allegations against French and UN troops in the Central African Republic and calls for strong, transparent and swift responses by the UN and relevant French authorities; urges the UN and the EU's CSDP organs to investigate, prosecute and sentence UN and EU personnel who committed acts of sexual violence without delay and with firmest resolve; stresses the urgent need to reform the structures in a way to end impunity of UN and EU personnel and by establishing functioning and transparent oversight and accountability mechanisms; finds it unacceptable that currently legal actions regarding alleged abuses remain purely voluntary and depended of the troop-contributing country; is convinced that also via training and education such grave crimes could be reduced and prevented;
18. Is concerned by recent additional allegations of child abuse and killing of civilians by UN troops in the CAR; welcomes that the UN has taken immediate action this time;
19. Commends MINUSCA´s efforts to strengthen the capacity of the Central African Republic to monitor and investigate allegations of sexual and gender-based violence, also of its own military and civilian staff, to promote women’s participation in the peace process and to protect childrens’ rights, including the fight against abduction and forced recruitment into armed groups; welcomes the agreement of armed groups on the release of 6.000-10.000 child soldiers; urges these groups to implement the agreement without delay and calls on all relevant authorities such as the UN, AU and the EU to facilitate the implementation and re-integration of these many children into society;
20. Welcomes the recent UN Secretary General report on the recommendations of the High Level Independent Panel on Peace Operations which includes important recommendations to prevent further sex abuse scandals; regrets however that the report falls short of calling for an important deterrent - asking that the UN Secretary-General’s annual report includes full details about cases, including trials and sentences;
21. Welcomes the deployment by the African Union of a team of experts to the CAR to support victims of sexual violence;
22. Considers that the fight against widespread state corruption, illicit economic networks and the installation of a functioning tax administration are key element in a process of economic recovery of the CAR and invites all donors to support measures in these fields; welcomes in this context the recent organisation of a high-level meeting in the margins of the UN General Assembly;
23. Highlights the important role of civil society organisations in this context and calls for related capacity building;
24. Calls upon the transitional government, the UN and donors to revive and improve impartiality of the judiciary in Bangui and in cities secured by international forces, by providing technical assistance for the police and the courts;
25. Urges the transitional authorities of the Central African Republic, with the support of the international forces, to take all possible steps to ensure the arrest, prosecution and safe, humane and secure detention of perpetrators of crimes committed against civilians, including violations of international human rights and humanitarian law;
26. Welcomes in this context the decision to set up a national special criminal court and calls for its immediate establishment, which would be of crucial importance in order to fight against impunity; underlines that public expectations in the CAR on this are high; underlines the importance of donor support for this court;
27. Welcomes that the UN Human Rights Council has extended the mandate of the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in CAR;
28. Welcomes the efforts to coordinate international assistance through the establishment of a multi-partner trust fund for the CAR and its action in the field of security sector reform, prevention of human rights violations, revival of justice and the creation of units aimed at providing holistic support to victims of rape; expresses its hope that the action of this trust fund continues over a longer period of time;
29. Considers however that a clear concept for the reinstallation of security throughout the CAR and the development of the country is still missing;
30. Calls on donors to urgently provide financial contributions to support national dialogue and reconciliation, the preparation of elections, the extension of State authority, accountability, DDR/R and security sector reform (SSR) processes, as well as the restoration of the judicial and penal chains in order to fight against impunity;
31. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and Commission, the African Union, the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the UN Secretary-General, the UN Human Rights Council, the President of the Central African Republic and Economic Community of Central African States Secretary-General.