The Central African Republic (CAR) is a landlocked country that gained independence, peacefully, from France in 1960. Political instability followed a few years later, with military coups and harsh dictatorial rule characterizing the better parts of the 1960s to late 1980s. The early 1990s saw a democratic opening, but the government failed to appease the interests of CAR’s different ethnic groups.
CAR continues to experience violent conflict, with the war between two groups: the former rebel group Séléka (who are predominantly Muslim) and the primarily Christian Anti-Balaka militias continuing since 2005. Seleka militias were formed in 2012 in order to overthrow the then-president, succeeding in September 2013. Many members of the former armed forces joined the Anti-Balaka militia.
In 2014 Anti-Balaka overthrew the Séléka government, paving the way for an interim government. Catherine Samba-Panza was elected Interim President, but with a severely diminished (and divided) national army. In 2016 Faustin Archange Touadera was elected President. Fierce skirmishes and brutal attacks continue between both ex-Séléka and Fulani militias, on the one hand, and Anti-Balaka militias on the other, as well as within factions of ex-Séléka. The conflict primarily concerns resources and power and has contributed to the death of thousands of people and the displacement of tens of thousands of people.
In 2019, the conflict became a war fought between the anti-Balaka and ex-Séléka militias against the government and the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission(MINUSCA). Ex-Séléka militia groups such as the Patriotic Front for the Renaissance in the Central African Republic (FPRC) and the Union for Peace in CAR (UPC) have incited numerous violent attacks on other militant groups and on civilians. Non-state violence against civilians and conflicts between militia groups constitute the majority of deaths in CAR.
The conflict with the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) continues, with increased LRA activity in the southeast of the country. This conflict concerns the LRA on one side and the governments of the Central African Republic, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the other side.
Peace attempts:
Historically peace attempts have been difficult in CAR but one important compromise was reached in 2008 after almost two years of talks between the government, rebels, civilians, and opposition groups. Two years of relative calm followed but was broken by a new rebel group (CPJP) emerging in 2009. This group signed peace accords in 2011 and no further fighting from them has been recorded.
In early 2013, peace talks between the Séléka and the government under the auspices of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) resulted in the signing of agreements, which provided for transitional and power-sharing measures. But fighting soon resumed and in March 2013, Seleka seized the capital, forcing President Bozizé to flee the country.
In 2014, the EU, the AU, and the UN supported the interim government of President Samba-Panza in her attempt to mediate between ex-Séléka and Anti-Balaka militias. In mid-March, the government unsuccessfully tried to negotiate a peace agreement with the Anti-Balaka militia. In April the EU approved the EU Military Operation in the Central African Republic (EUFOR RCA), a 1,000-strong peacekeeping mission for immediate deployment around the capital Bangui. Also, the 1,600-strong AU-led MISCA mission transferred its authority to MINUSCA, a 12,000-strong UN peacekeeping mission with an annual budget of $921m.
In 2017, the Rome Agreement was signed issuing a ceasefire, which quickly failed and violence continued. MINUSCA was initiated in 2012 and has been extended numerous times as CAR faces continued violence.
The National Recovery and Peacebuilding Plan, a five-year plan approved by the CAR government in October 2016 and supported by the EU and UN, aimed to facilitate peacebuilding, government transparency, and accountability following the election. Nevertheless, a lack of security, economic inequality, and continued competition over natural resources continue today and limit prospects for reaching a viable agreement.
The Khartoum Agreement was signed in February 2019 between CAR and numerous armed groups. There was a temporary decrease in conflict, then anti-Balaka and ex-Séléka groups violated the terms of the agreement by continuing to pursue violence against civilians.
