S/PV.9695 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. On behalf of the Council, I welcome Her Excellency Ms. Sylvie Valérie Baipo Temon, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Francophonie and Central Africans Abroad of the Central African Republic. The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. Members of the Council have before them document S/2024/576, 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 first give the floor to those members of the Council who wish to make statements.

The penholder strove to conduct inclusive negotiations and to take into account the positions of each Member State. In that regard, we thank all the members of the Council, who engaged constructively in the discussions to achieve a balanced text (S/2024/576). We welcome the excellent coordination with the Central African Republic, which made it possible to develop a consensus text. This very short text removes any ambiguity. It repeals the territorial arms embargo established on the Central African Republic in 2013. It imposes restrictive measures on armed groups and associated individuals, which are a threat to the territorial integrity of the country and undermine the authority of the State. That responds to the Central African Republic’s call to combat those armed groups and associated individuals by preventing them from obtaining arms and related materiel of all types. The stability of the Central African Republic and the entire region is at stake.

I shall put the draft resolution to the vote now.

The draft resolution received 15 votes in favour. The draft resolution has been adopted unanimously as resolution 2745 (2024). I shall now give the floor to those members of the Council who wish to make statements after the voting.

I welcome the presence of the Foreign Minister of the Central African Republic, Her Excellency Ms. Baipo Temon. In recent years, the Central African Republic has registered steady progress in political and peace processes and achieved positive development in improving governance capacity, promoting peace processes and maintaining security and stability. The efforts made by the Government of the Central African Republic on those fronts are widely recognized, and China expresses its appreciation. The resolution that was just adopted (resolution 2745 (2024)) lifts the existing arms embargo against the Central African Republic. It also lays out new sanctions measures against armed groups. And it reiterates that the Security Council’s arms embargo and notification requirements do not apply to the Government of the Central African Republic. That adjustment represents a positive response to the reasonable concerns of the Government and the people of the Central African Republic and will provide meaningful support to the Government in building up its security capacity and promoting the peace process. Based on that position, China voted in favour of the resolution. We positively assess the efforts made by all parties and acknowledge the role of France as the penholder. At the same time, it should be noted that the Council’s sanctions regime on the Central African Republic was established over 10 years ago. The current political and security situation in the Central African Republic has undergone tremendous positive changes, compared with 2013. In recent years, the arms embargo imposed by the Council has failed to completely prevent armed groups from obtaining weapons through illegal channels. Instead, sanctions measures have led to the stigmatization of the Central African Republic, hampering the access of its Government to international financing, affecting the country’s business and trade ties with other States and even undermining the country’s overall, peacebuilding, development and revitalization efforts. Completely lifting sanctions is a strong aspiration of the Government and the people of the Central African Republic, and the initiative has garnered staunch support from countries and organizations in the region. While the resolution just adopted constitutes another important step towards the complete lifting of sanctions against the Central African Republic, the text nevertheless retains a number of restrictive measures. As always, we urge the Security Council to respect and take seriously the concerns voiced by the Central African Republic and to take further actions, in a timely manner, according to the development situation and in response to the needs on the ground. We also call on it to review, adjust and lift sanctions measures that are inapplicable or unreasonable and to create more favourable conditions for peace, stability, development and prosperity in the Central African Republic and the region.

At the outset, I would like to welcome Ms. Sylvie Baipo Temon, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Francophonie and Central Africans Abroad of the Central African Republic. Algeria voted in favour of resolution 2745 (2024) in order to associate ourselves with the strong political signal of the international community and to encourage the Central African Republic to return to the path of institutional peace and stability. It is an important step for the people of the Central African Republic, and this brotherly country must be assisted in its efforts to organize, later in the year, the first local elections for more than 30 years. This text contains a positive element that transforms the territorial embargo that has existed since 2013 to an embargo targeting the armed groups that are greatly harming the Central African Republic. I will not hide the fact that, as Chair of the Sanctions Committee established pursuant to resolution 2127 (2013), concerning the Central African Republic, which will now be given a new name, it is our ambition to achieve greater clarity, precision and transparency in this text. We could have done better, particularly with regard to the return of items seized by Member States due to their prohibition under the embargo. First, we must strengthen the oversight powers of the Committee, in which we are all represented, with regard to the final destination of the seized items — be they vehicles, gasoline, arms, spare parts and financing. Secondly, we must improve transparency with regard to the process for returning the seized items so as to avoid rumours that could affect the credibility and legitimacy of our common action. Finally, Algeria would have welcomed the release of the seized items, when possible and as a matter of priority, to the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic or to the authorities of the Central African Republic, instead of leaving that responsibility to the State that seized said items upon mere notification. The majority of the sanctions issued by the Security Council relate to African countries. As an African member of the Council, my delegation will continue to insist, as a matter of principle, on greater transparency in the implementation of sanctions so that we can confer upon them legitimacy and credibility.

(spoke in Russian): I shall now make a statement in my capacity as the representative of the Russian Federation. The Russian Federation supported resolution 2745 (2024), submitted by France. It is no secret that the situation in the Central African Republic has improved significantly since 2013. It is important that today the Security Council has finally recognized this objective reality and adjusted the sanctions regime. Taking into account the position of Bangui and the constructive outlook of the resolution sponsors, we voted in favour of lifting the restrictions on the Central African Republic Government. We congratulate Ms. Sylvie Baipo Temon, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Central African Republic, as well as our colleagues from the Central African Republic and its citizens, on this event. However, it is obvious that today’s decision was long overdue. Russia has spoken about this at this table on many occasions. We are convinced that in future we need to respond more effectively to developments in States under Council sanctions and adapt the restrictions in place. Supplementing Council restrictions with illegal unilateral restrictions is unacceptable. We also note that, in the Central African context and given the current circumstances in the country, it would be appropriate to raise the issue of lifting the arms embargo on illegal armed groups operating in the Central African Republic. That element of the sanctions regime has long lost its relevance and is not preventing criminals from replenishing fighters, weapons and financing. The problem of illegal armed groups can be solved only through sovereign efforts to stabilize and ensure security within national borders, with the cooperation of neighbouring States. It is crucial to help the Central African Republic and its neighbours establish coordination and eliminate gaps in regional cooperation in order to ensure border security. For our part, we will continue to provide bilateral support to the Central African Republic in the interests of a definitive return to peace. I now resume my functions as President of the Council. I give the floor to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Francophonie and Central Africans Abroad of the Central African Republic.

At the outset, I would like to congratulate you, Mr. President, on your presidency of the Security Council for the month of July, and to commend you on holding this important meeting today. Today, 30 July 2024, is a special day for the Central African Republic because of the Council’s decision to unanimously adopt resolution 2745 (2024) — proposed by France, the penholder  — to completely lift the arms embargo on the Central African Republic. These sanctions, which were established under resolution 2127 (2013), come to a definitive end on 30 July. Thus, the Council has honoured the efforts made, and that is a source of national pride. I would like to quote the Latin poet Catullus, who said that victory loves effort. It is therefore with particular honour and national pride that I would like to congratulate, first of all, the Central African Republic and its people, in particular for the diplomatic efforts led by His Excellency President Faustin Archange Touadera. It has taken months and indeed years to put an end to sanctions that, as I have always said in this Chamber, could have seemed just in 2013, but today have become unjust. I would like to congratulate Council members and thank them, in particular the five permanent members, but also, more generally, all members. I also thank those who supported us from the outset — the People’s Republic of China, the Russian Federation, organizations such as the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region and the Economic Community of Central African States, the countries that were guarantors and facilitators of the peace process in the Central African Republic, and the Peace and Security Council of the African Union. I would also like to extend particular thanks on behalf of my country to His Excellency President Lourenço for his advocacy in this very forum for the complete lifting of the embargo in June 2021. I also thank all of those who joined us along the way and allowed us to achieve this result. Allow me to commend Gabon for its support, as well as Kenya, India, Ghana and others, who, here in this building stood by our side to come to our defence and fought the good fight. I apologize if I have not mentioned everyone, but I would also like to thank in particular the French Republic for having joined us in putting an end to this injustice. This decision to completely lift the arms embargo on the Central African Republic is the result of painstaking, difficult work that required rigour, consistency and perseverance. This happy day is also one of great gratitude and immense joy. I would like to thank the President of the Central African Republic for the confidence that he placed in me to fight the good fight at his side. I am also grateful to the people of the Central African Republic, the people from Africa and the people from around the world who have provided strong support throughout this difficult work. The complete lifting of the arms embargo in the Central African Republic is an important decision, because it is a historic watershed and a crucial moment for peace and stability, not only in the Central African Republic but also in the region of central Africa. This diplomatic victory is a first step that gives dignity back to the Central African Republic and its people by showing that the country’s diplomacy is a model of perseverance and determination in the quest for a world that is more just and more equitable and therefore for a more peaceful future for all. While this is a joyful victory, we should not forget that there are still challenges to be addressed, in particular through the work entrusted, through the resolution adopted today, to the Panel of Experts, working with international and subregional organizations, on the source or sources of weapons and on illicit cross-border trafficking. The Central African Republic is aware of these challenges and ready to support that work, which is crucial to a sustainable solution to the proliferation of armed groups in the central African region in particular and Africa more broadly.

There are no more names inscribed on the list of speakers. Before adjourning the meeting, as this is the last scheduled meeting of the Security Council for the month of July — hopefully — I would like to express the sincere appreciation of the delegation of the Russian Federation to the members of the Council and to the secretariat of the Council for all the support they have given us. Indeed, it has been a busy month, and one in which we rallied to consensus on several important issues within our purview. We could not have done it alone and without the hard work, support and positive contributions of every delegation and the representatives of the Secretariat, including the technical support team, conference service officers, interpreters, translators, verbatim reporters and security staff. As we end our presidency, I know I speak on behalf of the Council in wishing the delegation of Sierra Leone good luck in the month of August.