African Union Commission Report Post-Conflict Reconstruction And
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AFRICAN UNION UNION AFRICAINE UNIÃO AFRICANA Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, P.O. Box: 3243 Tel.: (251-11) 5513 822 Fax: (251-11) 5519 321 Email: [email protected] African Union Commission Report Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development Assessment Central African Republic 7-17August 2016 1 Table of Contents ER ROR! BOOKMARK NOT DEFINED. LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ............................................................................. 3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................................... 4 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................. 9 COMPOSITION OF THE TEAM ....................................................................................................... 9 ASSESSMENT METHODOLOGY................................................................................................... 10 LIMITATIONS AND SCOPE............................................................................................................ 10 STAKEHOLDERS ENGAGED ......................................................................................................... 11 BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT ................................................................................................... 11 PREVIOUS ASSESSMENTS’ FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ................................. 13 FINDINGS OF THE CURRENT ASSESSMENT MISSION ......................................................... 14 CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES........................................................................................ 15 RECOMMENDATIONS .................................................................................................................... 20 CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS................................................................................................... 23 ANNEXURE 1: FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF PREVIOUS NEEDS ASSESSMENTS IN CAR ................................................................................................................... 25 ANNEXURE 2: SPECIFIC FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS MATRIX ..................... 32 ANNEXURE 3: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY IN FRENCH .............................................................. 51 ANNEXURE 4 – REFERENCES ...................................................................................................... 57 2 List of Acronyms and Abbreviations ACCORD African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes AfDB African Development Bank AFISMA African-led International Support Mission to Mali AGA African Governance Architecture AU African Union AUC African Union Commission AU PSC African Union Peace and Security Council AU RTF African Union Regional Task Force CAR Central African Republic CEMAC Central African Economic and Monetary Community COMESA Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa DDRR Demobilization, Disarmament Rehabilitation and Reintegration DRC Democratic Republic of Congo ECCAS Economic Community of Central African States FACA Central African Military Force LRA Lord’s Resistance Army MINUSCA United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic MINUSMA United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali MISAC African Union Mission in the Central African Republic and Central Africa MISCA African-led International Support Mission to the Central African Republic MONUSCO United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo PCRD Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development RCI-LRA Regional Cooperation Initiative for the Elimination of the Lord’s Resistance Army RECs Regional Economic Communities RTF Regional Task Force USSF United States Special Forces SSR Security Sector Reforms UN United Nations UNDP United Nations Development Programme UNOCA United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa 3 Executive Summary 1. At the request of the African Union Commission (AUC), and pursuant to a resolution of the AU Peace and Security Council during its 612th Meeting held on 26 July 2016, a team of experts conducted a needs assessment on post conflict reconstruction and development (PCRD) in Central African Republic (CAR) from 7-17 August 2016. The main findings of the assessment include the following: 2. Security a) The security situation remains fragile with prevalence of human rights abuses, incidences of outbreak of violence, tension, and criminality throughout the country. The situation is exacerbated by the lack of state authority in most parts of the country which consequently translates to general civilian population apathy, frustration and emergence of self-help armed militia groups, banditry and criminality as a way and means of survival. b) The CAR defense and security forces are largely incapacitated with desertions, indiscipline and lack equipment, uniforms, weapons as well as appropriate command structures which has severely restricted their ability to provide security and deploy. While efforts are underway to undertake nationally owned, driven and informed security sector reforms (SSR) as well as demobilization, disarmament rehabilitation and reintegration (DDRR) programmes, the United Nations (UN) Security Council Sanctions and arms embargo severely restricts the ability of CAR’s security forces’ current capacity to provide security, with MINUSCA filling the gap, albeit with a limited mandate to protection of civilians and government’s strategic infrastructure and officials. c) Armed groups particularly the former Seleka and Anti-Balaka elements continue to control large territories of the country including areas rich in natural resources, levying illegal taxes, causing intimidation and committing serious human rights violations and atrocities to civilian populations. d) The Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) remains a significant threat to peace and security. The result has been internal displacement of civilian populations, recruitment of child soldiers, abduction of women, looting, destruction of property, human rights violations, atrocities and abuses especially sexual and gender-based violence, and refugee populations. 3. Democratic Governance a. To give effect and meaning to the new constitutional dispensation, legal and institutional reforms need to be undertaken in order to align the new constitution with the strategic priorities of the Government towards post conflict reconstruction and development. These priorities include: peace, reconciliation and security; renewal of the social compact between the state and the population; and economic recovery and boosting productive sectors. b. Most of the institutions that safeguard democratic governance and provide public service delivery in CAR especially security, public service, local governance, judicial, penal, health, and accountability are severely incapacitated. Access to these facilities 4 and services by the citizens is severely hamstrung by lack of infrastructure such as roads, electricity and the fact that there is an absence of state authorities to guarantee security. c. Human rights violations and related atrocities especially sexual and gender based violence in CAR is prevalent mostly by armed groups and criminal gangs and also includes serious allegations of sexual violence abuses by state security agents, French Sangaris and the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) . d. The National Assembly has in the past not played its important role of oversight to Executive excesses. The new Constitution expressly requires Parliament to diligently exercise its oversight role on the principle of separation of powers including in awarding contracts signed by the President and Prime Minister on the country’s natural resources. High levels of illiteracy in the country also means that several Members of Parliament do not have basic education and lack the capacity to pass laws and play their oversight functions. e. The humanitarian situation in CAR remains dire. Over 2 million of the 4.6 million Central Africans are dependent on humanitarian assistance within and outside the country’s borders. There are over 400,000 internally displaced persons in CAR and over 460,000 refugees in the neighbouring countries. 4. Socio-economic Development a. Despite its rich natural resources, the country’s population is one of the poorest in the world. In 2015 the country’s fiscal annual revenue was estimated at a paltry 100.6 million US Dollars with primary expenditures of about 181 Million US Dollars marking a deficit of over 80 million US Dollars. The country is over dependent on donor aid to finance its fiscal deficit including recurrent, capital and development expenditures. b. Access to basic socio-economic services is severely constrained by lack of financial and human resources as well the capacity of the state to deliver services. c. Due to lack of state authority in the entire territory as well as lack of security and capacity to effectively manage and police its borders has facilitated smuggling rackets as well as illicit financial and natural resource outflows. d. Lack of infrastructure to facilitate access and open the hinterland through roads and energy has exacerbated the security situation in CAR and continued marginalization and exclusion of rural communities from accessing basic socio-economic services. 5. Cross-cutting Issues a. Lack of education, jobs and access