Central African Republic
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CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC TIER 1 | USCIRF-RECOMMENDED COUNTRIES OF PARTICULAR CONCERN (CPC) KEY FINDINGS Religious freedom conditions in the Central African Republic of mosques destroyed in the 2014 sectarian violence. Mar- (CAR) trended negatively in 2018. Armed actors continued ginalization of Muslims continued, as well as limitations to to control an estimated 80 percent of the country, vying for Muslims’ free movement and unequal representation in resources and territory, and attacking civilians and commu- government. Justice and reconciliation efforts also remain nities based on their religious and ethnic identities, including stalled, and an ongoing culture of impunity for human rights mass attacks against places of worship. Infrastructure gener- and religious freedom violations threatens efforts toward ally, and roads in particular are extremely poor, inhibiting the long-term stability and reconciliation. The CAR government movement of security and aid actors to many towns across has failed to acknowledge religious freedom issues and has CAR. Government representatives also feared for their safety, lacked the will to address them in areas within its capacity lack funding, and are unable to reach many communities. In to reach and work. May 2018, at least 15 people were killed in an attack on the Given the systematic, ongoing, egregious violations of free- Notre Dame de Fatima church in Bangui, and in November, at dom of religion, USCIRF again recommends in 2019 that CAR least 112 civilians—including two priests—were killed when be designated as a “country of particular concern,” or CPC, an armed group attacked a displaced persons camp near the under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA), as it has Catholic Cathedral in Alindao. Also, in 2018, the government done every year since 2015. The U.S. Department of State has took no apparent action to rebuild or restore the hundreds not designated CAR as a CPC. RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE U.S. GOVERNMENT • Increase engagement with CAR sectarian violence, ethnic cleansing, • Safeguarding sustainable returns authorities, the United Nations (UN), and crimes against humanity; and of Muslim refugees and internally and international donors to ensure • Funding programs to reestablish displaced persons (IDPs) to their that issues related to ending sectarian and professionalize CAR’s judiciary homes; and violence and impunity, increasing inter- and to support the Special Criminal • Expanding reconciliation programs faith reconciliation, and affirming the Court (SCC); and interfaith dialogue to rural rights of religious freedom and religious • Press CAR authorities to undertake areas; and minorities are supported and raised in initiatives to ensure that Muslims have • Increase funding for peace and secu- all engagements with relevant parties; a future in the country by: rity initiatives; bolster humanitarian • Increase efforts to achieve account- • Rebuilding destroyed Muslim assistance for refugees, IDPs, and ability for human rights violations, mosques and properties; returnees, and rebuilding projects; and including through: collaborate with humanitarian actors to • Ensuring Muslim participation in • Assisting the UN Security Council in collect data on religious demographics government administration, security sanctioning armed actors responsi- to more effectively protect religious forces, and police units; ble for organizing and/or engaging in freedom and minorities. 28 USCIRF | ANNUAL REPORT 2019 TIER 1 TIER CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC COUNTRY FACTS FULL NAME RELIGIOUS DEMOGRAPHY* Central African Republic 35% Indigenous Beliefs 25% Protestant GOVERNMENT 25% Roman Catholic Presidential Republic 15% Muslim POPULATION (Animist beliefs are also integrated into Christian and 5,745,062 Muslim practices.) GOVERNMENT-RECOGNIZED RELIGIONS/FAITHS N/A *Estimates compiled from the CIA World Factbook BACKGROUND Christian. Following the atrocities committed against The Central African Republic (CAR) ranks at the bottom the mainly non-Muslim populations during the coup, of the United Nations (UN) Human Development Index including by Chadian and Sudanese mercenary fighters, (188 out of 189), and extremely poor infrastructure mostly Christian anti-balaka (anti-machete) groups inhibits development in education, security, and the formed and conducted reprisal attacks on civilians economy. CAR also ranks last on the Global Hunger perceived to be Muslim or of an ethnic group aligned Index (119 out of 119), and a majority of the population with the Séléka. Since then, the armed groups known as live below the international poverty line. CAR has strug- “ex-Séléka,” “anti-balaka,” or “self-defense groups” have gled with a series of coups and governance and security evolved and conducted attacks against communities challenges since independence in 1960, with one of the and places of worship based on their religious iden- biggest crises beginning in late 2012 and leading to an tity. The sectarian conflict heightened already hostile escalation in violations of human rights, including reli- interreligious relations and rhetoric, displaced more gious freedom. Around 50 percent of the population are than one million people, killed thousands, and led to Christian—nearly evenly split between Protestants and the destruction of 417 out of 436 mosques in the country. Roman Catholics, and 15 percent are Muslim. However, In December 2014, the UN Commission of Inquiry on religious identities in CAR are syncretic in many ways, the Central African Republic (COI) issued a report that with people throughout the country integrating other found a “pattern of ethnic cleansing committed by the indigenous beliefs into the ways they practice their anti-balaka in the areas in which Muslims had been faith and live their lives. Although people identify most living,” and UN officials warned of the risk of geno- closely with their ethnic and tribal groups, religious cide. In some cases, Muslims were forced to convert to identity is important to many Central Africans, and reli- Christianity or hide their religious identity to be safe gious leaders wield significant influence in society. from anti-balaka attacks. In response to the crisis, in For decades, ethnic and religious resentments 2014 the UN deployed the United Nations Multidimen- have been exacerbated by and closely interlinked with sional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central economic and political grievances. These issues were African Republic, or MINUSCA, which had more than heightened in 2013 when the mostly Muslim Séléka 14,000 personnel posted in the country at the end of the militias overthrew then President Francois Bozize, a reporting period. In 2015, under transitional president USCIRF | ANNUAL REPORT 2019 29 TIER 1 TIER CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC Catherine Samba-Panza, the Special Criminal Court certain communities and locations based on ethnic and (SCC) was also established in order to address grievous religious identity or for other reasons. International and human rights abuses committed since 2003. The Bangui domestic nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) also Forum on National Reconciliation paved the way toward warned about the impact of hate speech and incitement the 2016 election of current president Faustin-Archange to violence in CAR dividing communities along religious Touadéra. In 2016, CAR adopted a new constitution, lines. For the first time, in January 2018, the UN Security which enshrines freedom of religion and belief and Council also added the potential for sanctions desig- prohibits religious fundamentalism and intolerance. nations of individuals and entities that commit “acts Nevertheless, respect for the rule of law and judicial of incitement to violence, in particular on an ethnic or accountability remain core challenges. religious basis” in its extension of the existing sanctions A total of 2.5 million people are estimated to be regime on CAR. in need of humanitarian assistance. According to the While armed actors coalesced in 2013 and 2014 along UN, there were 640,969 IDPs in CAR at the end of 2018, religious lines, many allegiances have since shifted: some as well as hundreds of thousands of refugees in neigh- groups have merged across religious lines, and fighting boring Cameroon, the between factions with the Democratic Republic of same religious identity has the Congo, and Chad. also occurred. Never- For the first time . the UN Security Updated religious theless, during the past Council added the potential for demographic data are sen- year there was another sanctions designations of individuals sitive and remain largely escalation in attacks on and entities that commit “acts of unavailable, including civilians targeted based on incitement to violence, in particular on an statistics on the numbers religious identity. Armed ethnic or religious basis” . of Muslims who have actors frequently attacked returned to CAR, or figures civilians and IDP camps of displaced Muslims and in reprisals or based on Christians in the IDP camps. the belief that a camp was harboring enemy fighters. In In addition to the UN, several external actors have March, Catholic priest Father Joseph Desire Angbabata intervened in CAR, including the African Union, France, was killed, reportedly while trying to protect refugees at and Russia, in furtherance of various peace and security his church compound in Bambari. In May, in the capi- goals. After the reporting period, on February 6, 2019, tal Bangui, at least 15 people—including a priest—were armed group