OIC Journal Supplement Central Africa...Massacres & Displacement Special Report on Central African Republic - Issued by OIC - Information Department Political and humanitarian actions of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation on the ground Location, population, and recent history The Central African Republic (CAR) is bordered by Chad in the north, Sudan in the northeast, South Sudan in the east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo in the south and Cameroon in the west. The CAR covers a land area of about 620,000 square kilometers (240,000 sq mi) and has an estimated population of around 4.4 million. The capital is Bangui. According to official estimates, Muslims represent 15 per cent of the population, but according to informed diplomatic sources operating in the Central African Republic, the percentage of Muslims is about 20 to 25 per cent of the popula- tion, and the largest percentage of them live in the north of the country near the borders of Chad and Sudan, while the percentage of Christians is around 45 to 50 per cent, and the rest of the population maintain indigenous beliefs. The Central African Republic is a former French colony from 1889 until 1959. David Dacko (1959-1966) presided over the state after independence, then overthrown by self-named “Emperor” Jean-Bedel Bokassa (1966-1979), and then David Dacko again (1979-1981), overthrown by Andre Kolingba ( 1981-1993), then Ange-Felix Patassé (1993 2003) was elected, then François Bozizé (2003 2013) took power, then Michel Djotodia (the first Muslim president) took over from April 2013 until December 2013, and finally the head of the transitional government, Catherine Samba- Panza as of December 2013 until now. The political history of Central African Republic is full of coups and political turmoil, and witnessed sporadic armed and bloody conflicts, the most re- cent war broke out in December 2012 when the coalition called (Seleka) toppled President Bozizé and controlled the government; the majority of this coalition is Muslim. In reaction came a state of rejec- tion among the Christian majority and they formed a militia called (anti-Balaka). 2 Special Report on Central African Republic - June 2014 www.oic-oci.org Anti-Balaka or anti-machete The group anti-Balaka (anti means against in English and Balaka means machete or sword in the Sangu local language) emerged in September 2013. This armed militia, made up of self-defense rural groups, including a group of Christian farmers followers of Presi- dent Bozizé in the northwest of the country, started targeting Muslims in response to the abuses committed by armed men from the ranks of the rebel coalition Seleka. Anti Bal- aka committed killing sprees and atrocities against Muslim civilians, despite their inability to achieve any results in the face of the Seleka coalition. The crimes against Muslims by this militia included burning and amputating bod- ies, destruction of mosques and the displace- ment of large numbers of Muslim population. Violence leads to displacement Targeting Muslims The atrocities and sectarian violence had dev- The recent bloody events taking place in the CAR, astating effects on both communities, where carried out by the militia anti-Balaka since the fifth there are still more than 600 thousand people of December, have caused the displacement and displaced within Central Africa, as of May refuge of almost a million Muslims, according to 2014. According to the Office of the United our sources’ estimates. The capital Bangui has been Nations High Commissioner for Refugees purged of Muslims where there are only now about (UNHCR), there are more than 350 thou- 2000 Muslims remaining out of an estimated 250 sand refugees who have fled the violence in thousand, holed up in the central mosque and hid- the Central African Republic to neighboring ing in some areas. Muslims were subjected to vio- countries such as Cameroon, Chad, and the lence, mass killing, human rights abuses and loot- Democratic Republic of Congo. ing of their property and the demolition of their homes, in addition to the demolition of around 400 mosques. www.oic-oci.org Special Report on Central African Republic - June 2014 3 The OIC acts at the political level The OIC followed closely the crisis in the Central Afri- can Republic since it erupted, and began its response by issuing a statement where the Secretary General strongly condemned the escalation of violence and the worsening of civilian mass killings, expressing hope that the election of Ms. Catherine Samba-Panza as interim president would bring peace and restore stability in the country and the region. The General Secretariat called for an open-ended emergency meeting of the Executive Committee at the ministerial level. The meeting was held at the headquarters of the General Secretariat in Jeddah on February 20, 2014. Among the key decisions made by the meeting is to send a high-level delegation led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Guin- ea, Lounceny Fall, the current Chairman of the Coun- cil of Foreign Ministers, to carry out an urgent visit to the capital, Bangui, to express solidarity and assess the situation and communicate with the authorities in Central African Republic, and to contribute to the rapprochement dialogue. The meeting also decided to appoint a special envoy of the Secretary General to lead efforts to resolve the crisis and build peace. 4 Special Report on Central African Republic - June 2014 www.oic-oci.org A high-level ministerial delegation visits CAR and neighboring countries On 29-30 April 2014, a high level Ministerial delegation of the OIC made a solidarity and assessment visit to the conflict torn Central African Republic (CAR), an Observer Member in the OIC. The delegation led by the Chairman of the Council of Foreign Ministers and the Foreign Minister of Guinea, Lounceny Fall, in- cluded representatives from members of the OIC Executive Com- mittee, the OIC Secretary General, Iyad Ameen Madani and the OIC Special Envoy for CAR, Dr. Cheikh Tidiane Gadio. During the historic field visit, the delegation held series of meet- Special Envoy of the ings in Bangui, the capital with the Transitional Authorities in CAR OIC including the President, Catherine Samba-Panza, the Prime Min- The Secretary General of OIC ap- ister, Andre Nzapayeke with several Ministers in attendance, the pointed Dr. Cheikh Tidiane Gadio President of the Transitional Parliament in the presence of many as special envoy to the Central members of the Assembly, representatives of faith leaders and the African Republic. Gadio is a for- civil society. It also had fruitful exchanges with key international mer Minister of Foreign Affairs partners who briefed it on the security, political and humanitarian of the Republic of Senegal, an situation in the country. experienced mediator, academic and a prominent politician. He The delegation also paid a visit to the Central Mosque where it has served his country as head of examined the pathetic condition of the hundreds of Muslims who diplomacy over nearly a decade, have been trapped inside the premises and interacted with them from the beginning of 2000 until on the way forward. The delegation underscored the sanctity of 2009. He is currently the President the unity and territorial integrity of CAR to all its interlocutors, of an independent think tank and but called for an immediate end to all forms of violence against research center (Institute for Pan- Muslims, highlighted their right to safety and insisted on the pro- African Strategies) based in Da- tection of their fundamental rights as citizens of CAR. kar, Senegal. As part of its mission, the delegation paid visits to the Republic Dr. Gadio conducted several vis- of Congo where it reviewed the crisis with President Denis Sas- its the region to prepare for the sou Ngesso in his capacity as regional mediator in the conflict in visit of the high-level ministerial CAR. It similarly visited the Republic of Chad where it listened to delegation. the perspective of and received guidance from the leader of the regional body of Central African States, President Idriss Deby, on the crisis in CAR. The Secretary General’s proposal to resolve the crisis The Secretary General of the Organization of Is- lamic Cooperation proposed a regional paradigm of concerned neighboring countries to find a radi- cal solution to the bloody conflict in the Central African Republic. The proposal came during the meeting of the high-level ministerial delegation with the President of the Republic of Congo, Denis Sassou Ngesso, the mediator in the crisis in Cen- tral Africa, in the capital Brazzaville. The Secretary General during the meeting with President Ngesso expressed the will of the OIC to find a political solu- tion out of the crisis in the Central African Repub- lic. The Secretary General stressed on the need for a national dialogue that satisfies all parties, as the success of the national dialogue will undoubtedly contribute to the return of peace and security of the country. www.oic-oci.org Special Report on Central African Republic - June 2014 5 OIC acts at the humanitarian level Based on the recommendations of the Executive Committee on the situation in Central Africa, the Secretary General gave instructions to send a humanitarian mission jointly with the Islamic Development Bank (IDB). During the period 14 to 21 May, 2014, the OIC delegation embarked on its humanitarian mission to the Central African Republic, Chad, and Camer- oon. The mission held consultations with officials in the countries concerned by the crisis to discuss ways to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the affected displaced persons and refugees, as well as to obtain preliminary information on the ground by visiting the camps for displaced people in the CAR and the refugee camps in both Cameroon and Chad.