Central African Republic: submission to the 45th session of the Universal Periodic Review

Introduction

1. CSW (Christian Solidarity Worldwide) is a human rights organisation specialising in the right to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all through research and advocacy.

2. This submission seeks to draw attention to concerns regarding the right to FoRB in the Central African Republic (CAR) ahead of the state’s fourth Universal Periodic Review (UPR).

UPR commitments to freedom of religion or belief.

3. During the third UPR cycle in 2018, CAR received two recommendations relating to the right to FoRB. Both were accepted.

4. The accepted recommendations were to ‘continue with determined efforts in promoting reconciliation and peaceful coexistence among the people irrespective of religious or any other differences’ (recommendation 121.102, Nigeria); and to ‘develop public policies and awareness-raising campaigns to prevent incitement to violence, among other causes for ethnic or religious reasons, and to investigate and sanction persons or entities that incite violence’ (Argentina, 121.59).

5. CAR also supported 10 recommendations relating to increasing public security in the country, including a call from Sierra Leone (121.54) to ‘put an immediate end to the current sectarian violence in the country’.

Continued activity of armed groups

6. Despite accepting these recommendations, progress towards security, peaceful co-existence and reconciliation in CAR has been slow during the reporting period.

7. In February 2019, the government negotiated a peace agreement with 14 armed groups operational in the country – the 23rd of its kind signed within a 13-year period. It called for the immediate surrendering of arms by the armed groups and a cessation of hostilities. However, these groups continued to resort to force to demonstrate their displeasure at the power sharing arrangements.

To view the submission in full, you can download the pdf here.