S/PV.7215 Security Council

The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. At this meeting, the Security Council will hear a briefing by Ambassador Raimonda Murmokaité, Permanent Representative of Lithuania, in her capacity as Chair of the Committee established pursuant to resolution 2127 (2013). I wish to draw the attention of Council members to document S/2014/452, which contains a letter dated 26 June 2014 from the Panel of Experts on the Central African Republic established pursuant to Security Council resolution 2127 (2013) addressed to the President of the Security Council. I now give the floor to Ambassador Murmokaité. Ms. Murmokaité: I have the honour to brief the members of the Security Council in my capacity as Chair of the Committee established pursuant to resolution 2127 (2013) concerning the Central African Republic. I intend to brief members on the work of the Committee carried out since my most recent briefing to the Council during its consultations on 21 February. During the Committee’s informal consultations on 5 March, the coordinator of the Panel of Experts on the Central African Republic presented the Panel’s programme of work. Besides the coordinator, who also serves as the Panel’s armed groups expert, the Panel’s arms and finance/natural resources experts briefed the Committee members on their respective investigative priorities. The Committee members provided the Panel with guidance on the work programme presented. A number of Committee members underscored the importance of close cooperation between the Panel and the transitional authorities of the Central African Republic, as well as with the neighbouring States. The Committee received a briefing from INTERPOL’s General Counsel and Acting Special Representative during its consultations on 1 May. He explained that the INTERPOL-United Nations Security Council Special Notice was a useful tool for quickly disseminating information about individuals and entities subject to targeted sanctions to law enforcement agencies at airports and border crossings in all of INTERPOL’s 190 member States. The Committee members welcomed the Special Notice as an important tool for improving the implementation of sanctions. On 9 May, the Committee listed three individuals subject to the measures imposed by paragraphs 30 and 32 of resolution 2134 (2014) and issued a press release in that connection (SC/11389). On 18 June, the cooperation agreement between INTERPOL and the Committee, which includes the issuance of Special Notices, entered into force. On 5 May, the Committee was briefed during its informal consultations by the Special Representatives of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflicts and on Sexual Violence in Conflict. Both Special Representatives provided the Committee members with pertinent information on individuals engaged in activities stipulated by resolution 2134 (2014) as listing criteria for targeted measures. Those include committing acts of sexual violence and recruiting or using children in armed conflict in the Central African Republic. The Committee members expressed their appreciation for the work of the Special Representatives and the information that they had provided, including proposals to list certain individuals for targeted sanctions. Furthermore, the Committee members expressed the view that the designation of certain individuals for financial and travel sanctions would send a strong message that the international community would no longer tolerate the serious atrocities being committed by all sides in the Central African Republic and that perpetrators of such acts would be held accountable. In that connection, delegations encouraged both Special Representatives to exchange information on possible designations with the Panel of Experts. Subsequently, the Committee issued a press release on its interaction with the Special Representatives (SC/11388). On 29 May, Committee members received the interim report of the Panel of Experts. According to the Panel, the total impunity that allows individuals to engage in or provide support for acts that undermine the peace, security and territorial integrity of the Central African Republic remains the main stumbling block on the road of the political transition. Repeated cycles of violence have been fuelled by the lack of accountability, which created a fertile ground for rebel and criminal activities in the country. The Panel has been able to identify several political actors who are taking advantage of the security vacuum in the country to fund, organize or manipulate armed groups, such as some components of the “new Séléka” or the self-declared anti-Balaka militias, in order to position themselves in the national transitional process or promote the partition of the country. The Panel noted that personnel of the Central African armed forces and gendarmerie remain at command positions of some of the main anti-Balaka groups. Furthermore, the Panel reported that armed groups have been involved in the illicit trade and exploitation of natural resources. In the west, anti-Balaka members are digging and trading diamonds, while in the east Séléka forces retain a tight grip on artisanal gold mines. The Panel has not documented any major transfers of weapons, ammunition or military equipment since the imposition of the arms embargo on 5 December 2013. Armed groups mainly use small arms that were circulating in the country before the crisis or were obtained from Government stockpiles following the collapse of the defence and security forces and the subsequent Séléka rule in Bangui. Finally, the Panel has documented 103 incidents of obstruction of the delivery of humanitarian assistance between 5 December 2013 and 30 April 2014. It has also documented approximately 2,424 unlawful killings of civilians, including aid workers, committed by all parties to the conflict during the same period. The interim report was issued as an official Council document on 1 July under the symbol S/2014/452. During the Committee’s informal consultations on 25 June, the Panel’s coordinator briefed the Committee on developments since the submission of the interim report, and Committee members considered the recommendations contained therein. The briefer told Committee members that the voluntary disarmament operations carried out by the transitional authorities and the African-led International Support Mission in the Central African Republic on 8 June had not been successful. The country was still de facto partitioned into two, and almost all inhabited areas were still under the direct or indirect control of armed groups. The Panel was investigating who was responsible for the recent violence and killings in Bambari. He informed Committee members of three recent seizures of diamonds in the United Arab Emirates, Cameroon and Belgium that were most likely exported from the Central African Republic. With regard to the Panel’s work on humanitarian issues, the coordinator informed the Committee that its database of incidents had been recognized by the humanitarian community as a unique tool and helped the Panel to chart out its further investigations in the area. In their reactions to the interim report and the presentation by the coordinator, Committee members expressed their appreciation for the detailed findings presented by the Panel, especially with regard to armed groups and violations of international humanitarian law. They also welcomed the fact that the Panel had been able to travel to quite a few places outside of Bangui despite security and logistical constraints. Furthermore, they expressed concern about the continued illicit exploitation of natural resources and poaching, which are a major source of revenue for armed groups. They encouraged the Panel to provide the Committee on an ongoing basis with well-documented information on individuals who should be listed for targeted sanctions. Lastly, with regard to the four recommendations contained in the Panel’s interim report, Committee members agreed with three recommendations and took note of one. I would now like to update the Security Council on the implementation reports the Committee has received from Member States to date. So far, the Committee has received 25 such reports, as well as four addenda, from three Member States. Twenty-one reports have been posted on the Committee’s website. Of the 15 Committee members, seven have submitted reports so far. Only two African States have reported to date, and neither is located in the Central African region. I have encouraged Council members to lead by example and to submit their implementation reports in a timely manner. I will continue my outreach activities to the Central African Republic and its neighbours, who reported to the Committee during its 6 February meeting on their needs for implementation assistance, and will encourage those States to submit their reports to the Committee as soon as possible, including details of their assistance needs, to enable the Committee to approach potential partners and donors such as the Peacebuilding Commission, international financial institutions and other international, regional and subregional partners. On 19 June, I met with the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Ms. Fatou Bensouda. During the meeting, we discussed possible cooperation between the Committee and the Prosecutor’s Office with regard to the fight against impunity in the Central African Republic and agreed to continue to meet informally with interested members of the Committee in the future. I encouraged the Prosecutor to informally share information on alleged perpetrators of violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law with the Committee and the Panel of Experts and she agreed to do so. On 23 June, a security incident involving two experts of the Panel occurred in the border area between the Central African Republic and Chad. In reply to the Secretariat’s note to Committee members on 25 June, a note verbale from the Permanent Mission of Chad was circulated in the Committee on 3 July, providing initial information on the incident. I strongly encourage Chad to investigate the matter further and provide all relevant information to the Committee. I also invite all the neighbouring countries of the Central African Republic to cooperate fully with the Panel of Experts and provide it with all necessary support. It is my intention to visit the Central African Republic later this year in my capacity as Chair of the Sanctions Committee and to meet with the representatives of the transitional authorities in order to present the sanctions regime and discuss various related aspects with them. I will inform Council members of the details of the visit planned as they become available. In closing, I would like to assure Council members that, as Chair of the Committee, I will do my utmost to ensure that the Committee makes a meaningful contribution to the efforts of the Council, the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic and international partners to bring an end to the ongoing violence that threatens to completely destroy the social fabric of the Central African Republic in order to set the country on a path of reconciliation, durable peace and sustainable development.

I thank Ambassador Murmokaitė for her briefing. I now invite Council members to informal consultations to continue our discussion on the subject.