HUMAN CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC RIGHTS Materials Published by Human Rights Watch WATCH since the March 2013 Seleka Coup Central African Republic Materials Published by Human Rights Watch since the March 2013 Seleka Coup Copyright © 2014 Human Rights Watch All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America Cover design by Rafael Jimenez Human Rights Watch is dedicated to protecting the human rights of people around the world. We stand with victims and activists to prevent discrimination, to uphold political freedom, to protect people from inhumane conduct in wartime, and to bring offenders to justice. We investigate and expose human rights violations and hold abusers accountable. We challenge governments and those who hold power to end abusive practices and respect international human rights law. We enlist the public and the international community to support the cause of human rights for all. Human Rights Watch is an international organization with staff in more than 40 countries, and offices in Amsterdam, Beirut, Berlin, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Goma, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Nairobi, New York, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo, Toronto, Tunis, Washington DC, and Zurich. For more information, please visit our website: http://www.hrw.org Central African Republic Materials Published Since the Seleka Coup This document contains much of Human Rights Watch’s reporting on the human rights situation in the Central African Republic following the March 24, 2013 coup d’état against former President François Bozizé. For all of Human Rights Watch’s work on Central African Republic, including photographs, satellite imagery, and reports, please visit our website: https://www.hrw.org/africa/central-african-republic. The Central African Republic Has Become a Nightmare for Muslims ................................. 1 March 16, 2014 – Op-ed Published in The Washington Post ............................................................. 1 UN: Authorize Peacekeeping Mission for Central African Republic .................................... 4 March 13, 2014 – Press Release .......................................................................................................4 Joint Letter to Foreign Ministers of UNSC Member States: Authorize Peacekeeping Mission for Central African Republic .............................................................................. 6 March 13, 2014 – Letter .................................................................................................................. 6 Seleka Fighters Attack Village ........................................................................................ 9 March 11, 2014 – Press Release ...................................................................................................... 9 Legacy of Misrule Questions and Answers ..................................................................... 12 March 7, 2014 – Q&A .................................................................................................................... 12 Muslim Communities Emptied ...................................................................................... 15 March 7, 2014 – Press Release ...................................................................................................... 15 Muslims Forced to Flee ................................................................................................. 19 February 12, 2014 – Press Release ................................................................................................. 19 Justice Needed for Lynching ......................................................................................... 31 February 6, 2014 – Press Release .................................................................................................. 31 Seleka Fighters Regroup in North .................................................................................. 33 February 5, 2014 – Press Release................................................................................................... 33 Discovering Beauty Amid the Carnage ........................................................................... 39 February 5, 2014 – Dispatch .......................................................................................................... 39 Riptide ........................................................................................................................ 41 January 31, 2014 – Op-ed Published in Foreign Policy .................................................................... 41 “We Will Take our Revenge” ......................................................................................... 46 January 28, 2014 – Dispatch ......................................................................................................... 46 Human Rights Watch World Report 2014: Central African Republic ................................. 49 January 21, 2014 – Country Chapter .............................................................................................. 49 United Nations Human Rights Council: Special Session on the Human Rights Situation in the Central African Republic ......................................................................................... 54 January 20, 2014 – Statement ....................................................................................................... 54 This Time, the UN Can’t Let Africa Fail ........................................................................... 56 January 7, 2014 – Op-ed Published in Bloomberg........................................................................... 56 Rwanda’s Moment at the UN: Lead the Way, Call for Action in the CAR ........................... 59 December 21, 2013 – Op-ed Published in The East African ............................................................. 59 The Central African Republic Facing its R2P Moment of Truth ......................................... 62 December 20, 2013 – Op-ed Published in OpenGlobalRights/OpenDemocracy ............................. 62 Sectarian Atrocities Escalate ....................................................................................... 66 December 19, 2013 – Press Release ............................................................................................. 66 A Massacre on Hold in the Central African Republic .......................................................69 December 16, 2013 – Op-ed Published in The Independent ........................................................... 69 Face to Face With Colonel Zabadi .................................................................................. 72 December 11, 2013 – Op-ed Published in The New York Times ........................................................ 72 Tragedy at the Imam’s House ........................................................................................ 75 December 7, 2013 – Dispatch ........................................................................................................ 75 African Peacekeepers to the Rescue ............................................................................. 79 December 5, 2013 – Dispatch ........................................................................................................ 79 Preventing Atrocities in the Central African Republic ..................................................... 81 November 28, 2013 – Op-ed Published in The Washington Post ..................................................... 81 What a War Crime Looks Like from Space ...................................................................... 84 November 26, 2013 – Dispatch..................................................................................................... 84 My Meeting with the General ........................................................................................ 87 November 25, 2013 – Dispatch ...................................................................................................... 87 War Crimes by Ex-Seleka Rebels .................................................................................. 89 November 25, 2013 – Press Release ............................................................................................. 89 Crisis in the Central African Republic: Testimony before House Foreign Affairs Committee .... 94 November 19, 2013 – Testimony before Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations ................................................................. 94 “We Live and Die Here Like Animals” .......................................................................... 100 November 14 2013 – Op-ed Published in Foreign Policy ............................................................... 100 UN Human Rights Council: Interactive Dialogue on the Human Rights Situation in the Central African Republic ............................................................................................. 106 September 25, 2013 – Statement ................................................................................................ 106 Can Africa Offer Homegrown Solutions to its Problems? .............................................. 108 September 23, 2013 – Op-ed Published in The SA Sunday Independent ....................................... 108 The Forgotten Crisis in the Central African Republic ...................................................... 111 September 18, 2013 – Op-ed Published in The Independent ........................................................