CAR: High Commissioner for Human Rights warns of daily 'unpredictable violence'

A patrol of CPC militiamen in the village of Niakari, Central African Republic, in January 2021. Since their departure, the village has been trying to get back on its feet. © AFP/Alexis Huguet

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The human rights situation in the Central African Republic was at the heart of a meeting on Friday in Geneva, Switzerland. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk of Austria, said he feared further violence against residents.

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The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on Friday called on all parties to put an end to atrocities committed against civilians in the Central African Republic. Türk was speaking at a high-level dialogue at the UN Human Rights Council in Switzerland, attended by the Central African Minister of Justice, Human Rights and Good Governance, Arnaud Djoubaye Abazene.

« It is rare that a country with such an alarming human rights record is so forgotten by the rest of the world. The people of the Central African Republic endure a daily reality of unpredictable outbreaks of violence where fear is used as a weapon, where the severe trauma caused by years of violence runs deep. » 

The Austrian welcomes Bangui's efforts, including the creation of a new leadership team for the National Commission on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. But shortcomings in the justice system remain, he says, and impunity remains "widespread." Among his observations: the Court of Appeal of Bambari, in the Ouaka, has not started its criminal sessions.

In this context, the under-14s, who represent 40% of the Central African population, are at risk. Dropped out of school, killed or maimed by gunfire or explosive remnants, or recruited whether boys or girls.

The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba, warns of their fragility: "Armed groups use children to swell their ranks during clashes. I am also concerned about the use of children by the national armed forces and other security personnel to manning checkpoints or shopping.

The Central African Minister of Justice reaffirmed the government's commitment to ensuring the protection of children's rights and combating their recruitment, indicating that since 2014, more than 15000,<> had been entrusted to reintegration services.

MINUSCA's human rights division documented 1300 human rights victims in the last quarter of 2022, more than double (534) compared to the first quarter of 2022. According to the UN, more than half (58%) of these violations are attributable to the defence and security forces and their allies. They specifically target Peuhl and Muslim communities, accused or suspected of complicity with the rebels according to Volker Türk. The armed groups that signed the Peace Agreement are responsible for 35% of human rights violations, according to him.

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Read on on the same topics:

• Central African Republic
• Rights of the child