S/PV.8422 Security Council

In accordance with rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite the representative of the Central African Republic to participate in this meeting. The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. Members of the Council have before them document S/2018/1016, which contains the text of a draft resolution submitted by France. The Council is ready to proceed to the vote on the draft resolution before it. I shall put the draft resolution to the vote now.

The draft resolution received 13 votes in favour, none against and two abstentions. The draft resolution has been adopted as resolution 2448 (2018). I shall now give the floor to those members of the Council who wish to make statements following the voting.

France welcomes the adoption of resolution 2448 (2018), which renews the mandate of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) for one year. In a context that is characterized by ongoing serious violence carried out by armed groups, as unfortunately evidenced by the current situation in Alindao, and with a heavy toll paid by the civilian population, humanitarian personnel and Blue Helmets, it was essential for the Security Council to reaffirm its support for MINUSCA and the Central African authorities. In order to promote consensus, we have sought relentlessly, through extensive consultations and, of course, with respect for each other’s positions, to strike a delicate balance among the various positions expressed during the negotiations. All the members of the Council actively participated in those negotiations and shared their sometimes diverging positions, which we have spared no effort to reconcile. In that context, we solemnly call on everyone to actively and in good faith implement the resolution by putting the interests of the Central African people above our national interests. Action in favour of the Central African Republic can be achieved neither through a solitary and exclusive approach, nor by methods that ignore the solutions provided by our African partners themselves — first and foremost, the African Union — nor through initiatives that call into question the decisions of the Security Council. To return to what should be at the heart of our common concerns, the MINUSCA mandate, I would like to underscore three points here with regard to the important resolution that we have just adopted. First, the resolution maintains MINUSCA’s robust format and mandate, which is key. MINUSCA, which operates in a difficult environment, has repeatedly demonstrated that it can act proactively and robustly, when necessary, to protect the civilian population — particularly the most vulnerable, namely, women and children — from the threat of armed groups. Now that MINUSCA has reached its full operational capacity with the arrival of the last contingents, which resulted from the increase in the troop ceiling authorized last year, we hope that MINUSCA will be able to pursue its efforts to enhance its mobility and improve its operational performance. It must also intensify the efforts already under way to prevent cases of sexual exploitation and abuse and ensure that they do not go unpunished. In that regard, I recall the importance of the Special Criminal Court and cooperation with the International Criminal Court. Secondly, the resolution also reinforces MINUSCA’s role, in accordance with the Secretary- General’s recommendations, in supporting the political process in the Central African Republic, under the aegis of the African Initiative for Peace and Reconciliation in the Central African Republic, which is also absolutely essential. The African Initiative is the only direct and inclusive dialogue process between the Central African Government and armed groups from which a comprehensive peace agreement can emerge. In that context, we welcome the decision of the United Nations and the African Union to integrate MINUSCA into the African Initiative, as well as to include the Permanent Representative on the panel of facilitators. We also welcome the decision to support the African Initiative through a joint United Nations-African Union Special Envoy, and stress the importance of an early appointment at this crucial time to advance the peace and reconciliation process. Under the resolution, MINUSCA could also strengthen its substantive support for and mediation role in the African Initiative, in addition to the support it already provides in the technical, logistical and security areas. Its role as coordinator of international support for the African Initiative will also be bolstered. Thirdly and lastly, the resolution authorizes additional support from MINUSCA to the Central African authorities for the extension of the State’s authority throughout Central African territory. I am thinking in particular of the logistical support, albeit limited, that MINUSCA will be able to provide to the Central African armed forces trained or certified by the European Union Military Training Mission in the Central African Republic, as well as the internal security forces, in order to allow them to gradually redeploy within the Central African territory and conduct joint operations to ensure the safety of local populations. Negotiations on that point have been difficult. That is a fact, and expectations should not be unrealistic. MINUSCA is already working with armed forces of the Central African Republic who have either been trained or certified by EUTM RCA and could therefore continue to do so by adding logistical support to the extent that its resources permit and within its areas of deployment. France is well aware of the commitment and sacrifices that MINUSCA and its civilian, police and military staff are making in order to promote peace in the Central African Republic, and will continue to give them its firm support both on the ground and here in New York. We will also continue to give our full support to President Touadera and the people of the Central African Republic, who have suffered far too long in this crisis. I want to say once again that France’s motive is its desire to support the people of the Central African Republic, and that motive should guide the action and commitment of every Council member.

I would like to welcome the presence of His Excellency Mr. Stef Blok, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, and to give him the floor.

As we gather in this Chamber this afternoon, more than half of the people of the Central African Republic are fleeing the ongoing violence there. The attacks on civilians, peacekeepers and humanitarian workers continue, despite the peace process led by the African Union Initiative for Peace and Reconciliation in the Central African Republic. It is clear that the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) has a vital role to play to support and protect the people of the Central African Republic. We therefore thank France for its work and leadership in facilitating the discussion on MINUSCA’s mandate by making extensive efforts to find a compromise among all members of the Council. The Kingdom of the Netherlands welcomes the mandate’s renewal for a period of one year. We are pleased that the Mission’s role in the political process and the mandate for the protection of civilians have been significantly strengthened by comparison to last year’s mandate. We are also satisfied with MINUSCA’s newly assigned task extending limited logistical support to the country’s armed forces that have been trained by the European Union Training Mission in the Central African Republic, which is essential to strengthening the State’s authority. MINUSCA also has an important role in coordinating international security-sector reform initiatives, which should be undertaken transparently and coherently. For these reasons, we regret that the mandate was not adopted unanimously. We urge all Council members to work to restore unity in their support to the people of the Central African Republic.

The United States strongly supports the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) and is pleased to have voted for this mandate renewal. We note that it will be difficult for the Council and MINUSCA to assist the Government of the Central African Republic in making peace with armed groups, re-establishing Government control over its entire territory and laying the groundwork for peace and prosperity for all the citizens of the Central African Republic unless there is total unity, transparency and coordination among key actors, including the African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS). We are deeply concerned about the violence in Bangui, Bambari and Alindao, and believe that the fighting and the actions against civilians demonstrate the importance of ensuring that the Central African authorities coordinate with MINUSCA before redeploying security forces, as authorized in this mandate. We are concerned about the possibility the Central African military might be moving to zones that were not previously agreed on with the United Nations. We will continue to urge for the establishment of a national inspection protocol for all weapon donations to the Government of the Central African Republic. We commend all the donors providing that assistance, and we want to reaffirm our commitment to achieving the highest possible standards of transparency in coordinating with the Government and other partners on military assistance, training and donations. In some cases, the distinction between activities that represent official Government assistance and those that represent private commercial activities, unrelated to donor coordination, has been unclear. Assisting the Government of the Central African Republic is not a competition. In helping one of the world’s poorest countries emerge from more than a decade of conflict to pursue peace and development, there can be no room for jealousy. We must coordinate closely to ensure that our combined assistance and related activities help to achieve the Security Council’s objectives in support of the Central African Republic’s territorial integrity. As is authorized in this mandate, we urge for more rapid progress on the African Union Initiative for Peace and Reconciliation in the Central African Republic, and we encourage all Member States to embrace transparency and full cooperation with the Government of the Central African Republic, the AU, ECCAS and MINUSCA in support of a political resolution to the violence. Finally, we note that resolution 2448 (2018) contains references to the International Criminal Court (ICC), and in that connection we want to refer to the United States policy on the ICC, as announced by the White House on 10 September. In particular, the United States reiterates its continuing and long-standing principled objection to any assertion of ICC jurisdiction over nationals of States that are not parties to the Rome Statute, including the United States and Israel, without a Security Council referral or the consent of such a State. We also want to reiterate our serious and fundamental concerns about the ICC Prosecutor’s proposed investigation of United States personnel in the context of the conflict in Afghanistan. As today’s resolution recalls, the Central African Republic is a State party to the Rome Statute and has consented to the ICC’s exercise of jurisdiction in its territory. The United States remains a leader in the fight to end impunity and continues to support justice and accountability for international crimes, including war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. We respect the decision of the nations that have chosen to join the ICC, and in turn we expect that our decision not to join and not to place our citizens under the ICC’s jurisdiction will also be respected.

The Russian Federation was unable to support resolution 2448 (2018), proposed by our French colleagues to extend the mandate of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic. We abstained not because we do not support the Mission or disagree with anything to do with it. On the contrary, we are grateful for its activities and the dedication of its peacekeepers. The reason is the manner in which the work on the text was done, especially in the final stages, and it leads us to wonder once again about the true reasons for the behaviour of the authors of the resolution, who, unlike us, are apparently continuing to play a zero-sum game in Africa. Furthermore, behind all of this we get a glimpse of an attitude that has persisted for decades to the independence that African countries have achieved through their struggles for national liberation and that treats their lands like some kind of patrimony or their own preserve in a vicious cycle where metropolis meets colony. Throughout all the rounds of expert consultations, we asked that our concerns be heard and that the text reflect a number of points of principle, aimed chiefly at increasing the transparency of the interactions with Bangui’s international partners, something that Western delegations are constantly calling for, and a recognition of the important role of regional actors in the process of achieving a settlement in the Central African Republic. Once again, unfortunately, our desire for mutually respectful work in the Council was repudiated. Our arguments during the work on the resolution were ignored. Moreover, we detect in the resolution’s content the penholders’ clear overstepping of their authority to assert a national agenda or reflect the priorities of their closest partners. There was basically no effort to seek compromises or reach a consensus. We were offered what were termed compromise solutions that took no account of our legitimate demands, and we were told that this was as far as the penholders could go, it was their maximum. What I want to know is who decides what the maximum is. Their maximum is not even our minimum. Practically speaking, we were faced with a fact and, not for the first time, were told to take it or leave it, to go along with the situation as presented in the name of preserving the unity of the Security Council. It is not the first time that we have encountered this in the Council or said that it is time that this culture of discourse, or rather the lack thereof, must come to an end. The way the draft was agreed on once again emphasized how essential it is that we change the current system of penholdership for various items on the Security Council’s agenda, which has been usurped by the Western troika. The authors of the document flatly refused to take into account a number of our principled political concerns. The result was that it did not reflect the important concept welcoming peace initiatives that align with and contribute to achieving the African Initiative for Peace and Reconciliation in the Central African Republic. Nor did we hear any convincing or clear reasons why the French delegation was categorically opposed to our incidentally very generalized proposed wording. But we certainly do remember that on 14 November, when consensus on a draft resolution was not reached, it was immediately taken off the table at the request of one delegation. For some reason we did not see Paris take a similarly careful approach to our position. The suggestion that the meeting in Khartoum that for the first time in a long time brought the leaders of the Central African Republic opposition groups together around the same negotiation table was not aligned with the African Initiative is totally wrong. We heard the same kind of excuses in 2015 when France prevented similar efforts to achieve peace by rejecting the Nairobi agreement between the main opposition groups headed by François Bozizé and Michel Djotodia on the invented pretext that it was not in line with the previous agreements. Since then we have all seen that the security situation in the Central African Republic is deteriorating, the socioeconomic situation is getting worse and the human suffering is continuing. In that connection, we would specifically like to point out that we have taken note of the French delegation’s promise to reflect the importance of the Khartoum process in future Security Council documents. We will be watching attentively to see that promise fulfilled. Another subject not reflected in the resolution was the major contribution that has been made to training the Central African armed forces by the Russian instructors who are in the Central African Republic at the invitation of its leaders and are working to improve the armed forces’ real battle readiness. Instead, the penholders bent over backwards to puff up the role of the European Union Military Training Mission in the Central African Republic, which as the Europeans themselves admit is focused on human rights training for the military, which is not exactly going to help it ensure security and control throughout the country. In our view, what is extremely revealing is the evolving story of the approval in the Committee established pursuant to resolution 2127 (2013) of the second batch of Russian weapons sent free of charge to the Central African Republic in response to Bangui’s official request. There is supposed to be a consensus on the importance of strengthening the national security sector, and we have responded to all of the questions. But we are now being told that the Central African Republic does not have the proper storage facilities. And yet for a subsequent delivery of 1,400 submachine guns from the French — which on top of that are not from their own stores but seized from smugglers in murky circumstances — storage facilities were suddenly found. Where is the logic in that? Or is it another infamous example of double standards? As this shows, guided by their own narrow self-interests, the countries of the West are putting obstacles in the way of rebuilding battle-ready forces in the Central African Republic and restoring the Government’s legitimate authority throughout the country, despite all their assertions to the contrary. I will have to disappoint those who are getting ready to blame Russia for all of the world’s deadly sins. Incidentally, we were surprised to learn from the BBC today — Council members can find it on the Internet themselves — about a statement by United States National Security Adviser John Bolton on Russia and China’s role in Africa. The same claims that he made about our countries could just as well be made about the United States. In fact, that was what the reporter describing the situation was saying. It can be found on the BBC’s website. The fact is that the international community’s unSited support for stabilizing the Central African Republic has not vanished, and our understanding of the importance of extending the mandate of the peacekeeping mission in that country is still there. But we cannot accept it when in the guise of so-called good intentions with regard to consolidating support for Bangui, in practice the resolution’s penholders plant the idea about the exceptional nature of their own efforts. We hope that reason will ultimately prevail in the interests of the people of the Central African Republic. Russia will continue its active and peaceful work to stabilize the situation and establish peace in the Central African Republic, and we are ready to engage in respectful, constructive collaboration with anyone so inclined. There is room for everyone who wants to help the Central African Republic.

Let me take this opportunity to thank France for its efforts in coordinating the drafting of resolution 2448 (2018). Poland voted in favour of it, and we regret that we were unable to reach consensus on it. In our opinion, the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic is a crucial element in the Council’s efforts to support peace in the Central African Republic, and the issue of extending the mandate of the Mission for another year is extremely important both for the country and the whole Central African region. In that context, it is critical to maintain a constructive position in the Council on the issue in order to help to ensure overall stability in the Central African Republic, especially in the context of the elections planned for 2020 and 2021. It is especially important right now to send a clear message to the Government and the people of the Central African Republic that the Security Council is united in supporting their aspirations for stability and prosperity.

The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic has played an important role in maintaining peace and stability in the Central African Republic, and China supports the extension of its mandate. Meanwhile, the efforts of the relevant parties within the international community to achieve peace and security in the Central African Republic should be recognized and positively acknowledged. The legitimate concerns of all parties, particularly the Central African Republic, should be fully heeded and taken seriously by the penholders. Resolution 2448 (2018) should serve to foster Council consensus, maintain Council unity and send a positive signal from the international community in support of the Government of the Central African Republic. Only in doing so can we contribute to lasting peace and stability in the Central African Republic. With that in mind, China abstained in the voting on the draft resolution just adopted.

The Central African Republic is now taking important steps to advance the peace process under the African Union-led African Initiative for Peace and Reconciliation in the Central African Republic. In parallel, its national security forces are improving their capabilities in spite of the very volatile and fragile situation in the country, as the recent attacks on civilians in Alindao and Batangafo demonstrated. I want to emphasize the critical role played by the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) in securing stability and advancing the peace process, as well as in supporting the protection of civilians and fighting sexual and gender-based violence. We would like to thank France for its work on resolution 2248 (2018). I want to briefly highlight three specific areas where the mandate of MINUSCA has been strengthened. The first is the protection of civilians, including prevention and early warning. The second is MINUSCA’s political role in supporting the peace process, and the third is MINUSCA’s ability to provide logistical and technical support to the Central African armed forces. I also want to emphasize that the resolution recognizes the adverse effects of climate change on the stability of the Central African region and stresses the need for adequate risk assessments and long-term strategies by the United Nations and Governments of the region. The mandate was not adopted by consensus, but we urge all Council members to unite in their support to the Central African Republic and to MINUSCA, and we know that they will.

I shall now make a statement in my capacity as the representative of Côte d’Ivoire and on behalf of the three African countries that are members of the Security Council. The delegations of Ethiopia, Equatorial Guinea and Côte d’Ivoire welcome the adoption of resolution 2448 (2018), renewing the mandate of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) for an additional year. The three African members of the Council voted in favour of the text, which represents the clear support of the international community to the peace efforts of the people of the Central African Republic. We regret, however, that the one-month postponement of the adoption of the resolution did not allow us to smooth out the difficulties and create the spirit of compromise needed to reach consensus on the text, which would have fully ensured the legitimacy of MINUSCA’s presence in the Central African Republic. In any event, the three African Council members wish to stress that our decisions must be guided solely by the best interests of the Central African Republic and its people, who have suffered too much from the persistent crisis in their country. We are convinced that the renewal of MINUSCA’s robust mandate will enable the Mission to carry out its priority tasks of protecting civilians, supporting the political peace process and supporting the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Central Africans in need. Through the new resolution, the Council also reaffirms its support for the African Initiative for Peace and Reconciliation in the Central African Republic. It reinforces MINUSCA’s role in leading the Initiative with a view to fostering direct and inclusive dialogue among the various actors. The Council also supports the participation of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General in the Initiative’s panel of facilitators, thereby demonstrating his interest in the political process, which is undoubtedly the appropriate framework for finding a lasting solution to the crisis in the Central African Republic. In addition, the three African Council members welcome the strengthening of MINUSCA’s support to the Central African authorities in the context of the extension of State authority, the deployment of security forces and the preservation of the country’s territorial integrity. There is no doubt that this support is an essential tool in addressing the ongoing political, security and humanitarian challenges to the Central African Republic. Finally, Ethiopia, Equatorial Guinea and Côte d’Ivoire express their support for the Government of the Central African Republic and encourage it and all stakeholders to collaborate with the United Nations system, including MINUSCA, in their efforts to resolve the crisis with a view to restoring peace and lasting stability to this brotherly country. I now resume my functions as President of the Security Council. I give the floor to the representative of the Central African Republic.

I congratulate you, Mr. President, on Côte d’Ivoire’s assumption of the Council presidency this month and thank you for organizing this meeting with a view to adopting resolution 2448 (2018), renewing the mandate of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA). I express my heartfelt gratitude to all members of the Security Council for their support in adopting the resolution and the acute sense of responsibility that accompanied their long consultations. I say this because while we dither at the United Nations in general, and in the Security Council in particular, the reality on the ground is extremely serious and requires our concerted attention. As we noted on 23 October (see S/PV.8378) when the Secretary-General presented his report (S/2018/922) on the situation in the Central African Republic, the situation remains fragile due to clashes among armed groups, in particular ex-Séléka and anti-balaka factions. Civilians, humanitarian workers and international forces are caught up as targets in the spiral of this violence. Despite calls for armed groups to lay down their weapons and engage in the peace process, they are responding with demonstrations of force, as we witnessed in Ndélé in recent weeks. I stress the relevance of paragraph 66 of the report, which stresses the need to exert credible, adequate and sustained military pressure to prevent any further strengthening or expansion of the armed groups. Unfortunately, we are now witnessing that sad reality. Indeed, the latest unfortunate events in Batangafo, Bambari, and especially in Alindao on 15 November and in Ippy on 4 December, where displaced person sites were the targets of senseless, deadly attacks, sufficiently demonstrate some of the limitations of MINUSCA. The persistence of conflicts has forced more than 1 million Central Africans to leave their homes due to arson, the demolition of their homes or as a preventive measure. As of 30 September, the Commission on Population Movement reported 643,396 internally displaced persons, while the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reported 573,242 refugees in neighbouring countries. More than half of the displaced are children. In 2018, an increasing number of unaccompanied and separated children — approximately 704 — were identified after a forced displacement. The hardest hit categories of populations are displaced persons, host families and people living in conflict areas. The Central African Republic continues to be caught up in a cycle of violence that has spread to various parts of the country, including areas that were previously considered relatively stable. Abuses and serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law continue to be perpetrated in a context of impunity, exacerbating tensions in several parts of the country. That has led to increasing humanitarian needs and raised fears that the country may be plunging further into humanitarian crisis. Civilians, particularly women and children, continue to suffer the consequences of the conflict, are increasingly exposed to safety risks and have ever more pressing humanitarian needs. Today, one in five people is a displaced person or refugee as a result of abuses by armed groups. The crisis is first and foremost one of protection and requires all parties to commit to the protection of civilians. Women and children continue to bear the brunt of the violence. A growing number of women have been victims of violence. In view of the security challenges facing the country, it is crucial to seriously consider the deployment of the Forces armées centrafricaines (FACA), which could reduce the bellicose fervour of the armed groups where they are located. The decrease in security breaches in Bangui, Bangassou, Paoua and several prefectures in the west are due to the sizeable joint deployment of FACA and MINUSCA troops. The Central African Government calls on the Security Council to authorize MINUSCA to provide logistical support for the redeployment of the FACA to garrisons throughout the country. It should be noted that to date, in addition to the training of personnel by the European Union Military Training Mission in the Central African Republic (EUTM RCA), some neighbouring countries — including Rwanda, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo — also provide training. We also note that, at the bilateral level, the Russian Federation has supported our forces in by providing weaponry and combat training to elements previously trained by EUTM RCA. Those troops are subsequently redeployed to the field jointly with MINUSCA. The presence of the Forces armées centrafricaines, equipped with their working tools throughout the country, is a guarantee of security for the civilian population, a defender of the decentralized services of the State and an important factor that can contribute to the country’s economic and social development. In addition to the renewing Mission’s primary mandate, which focuses on certain priority tasks, including support for the political and reconciliation process and the protection of civilians, resolution 2448 (2018) confers on the Mission other equally important tasks, such as involvement in the upcoming electoral process, its integrated support for the African Initiative and the inclusion of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General as a full member of the panel of facilitators. We warmly welcome those initiatives, and in that context it is important to ensure that MINUSCA is provided with the resources necessary to properly fulfil its new mandate, which is a responsibility that falls on all members of the Security Council and the United Nations. For its part, the Government of the Central African Republic reiterates its strong and determined support for the African Initiative for Peace and Reconciliation, under the leadership of the African Union. The Government fully appreciates the proposal to appoint a joint United Nations-African Union Special Envoy. I conclude by underlining our gratitude for the mobilization of the Council and the entire international community on behalf of MINUSCA and lasting peace in the Central African Republic. We must strengthen the progress made in several areas in order to advance towards finding a solution to the crisis. We reiterate our sincere thanks for the Council’s unwavering support for President Touadera in his quest to turn the Central African Republic into a country where life is good. We continue to acknowledge the troop-contributing countries whose nationals have lost their lives in the service of the United Nations for the protection of the Central African population. We will always carry them in our hearts.