September 2007 Volume 19, No. 14(A) State of Anarchy Rebellion and Abuses against Civilians Executive Summary.................................................................................................. 1 The APRD Rebellion............................................................................................ 6 The UFDR Rebellion............................................................................................ 6 Abuses by FACA and GP Forces........................................................................... 6 Rebel Abuses....................................................................................................10 The Need for Protection..................................................................................... 12 The Need for Accountability .............................................................................. 12 Glossary.................................................................................................................18 Maps of Central African Republic ...........................................................................20 Recommendations .................................................................................................22 To the Government of the Central African Republic ............................................22 To the APRD, UFDR and other rebel factions.......................................................22 To the Government of Chad...............................................................................22 To the United Nations Security Council..............................................................23 To the United Nations CAR country team............................................................23 To the Special Representative of the Secretary General on Children and Armed Conflict .............................................................................................................23 To the Government of France and other governments providing military assistance to CAR .............................................................................................23 Background: The Varied Causes of Conflict in CAR..................................................25 Central African Republic’s Violent Political History.............................................25 Economic and social disparities as a source of conflict......................................28 CAR’s Security Services and Civilian Protection .................................................29 Applicable legal standards.....................................................................................32 Attacks on Civilians, including looting and destruction of property ....................33 Reprisals and Collective Punishments...............................................................34 Child soldiers....................................................................................................35 Summary Executions.........................................................................................36 Ill treatment, including rape and SGBV..............................................................36 Rebellion in the Northwest.....................................................................................37 The Origins of Conflict.......................................................................................37 Zaraguinas and Chronic Insecurity in Northwestern CAR ....................................39 Make-up of the APRD rebel movement............................................................... 41 Abuses by the CAR security forces.....................................................................45 Abuses by APRD rebels .................................................................................... 69 Abuses by Chadian Forces ................................................................................73 Rebellion in the Northeast .....................................................................................75 The Origins of conflict .......................................................................................77 Abuses by CAR Security Forces in the Northeast ................................................84 Abuses by UFDR rebels..................................................................................... 90 Conclusion: The need for Protection and Accountability........................................ 99 A Homegrown Crisis with Regional Dimensions ................................................ 99 The Need for Protection................................................................................... 101 The Need for Accountability ............................................................................ 103 The Role of the French Military......................................................................... 105 Acknowledgements..............................................................................................108 Summary and Recommendations Human Rights Watch | September 2007 1 STATE OF ANARCHY Photographs by Thomas Dworzak/Magnum Photos and Human Rights Watch Civilian homes along the Paoua-Boguila road burned by government forces. © 2007 Thomas Dworzak/Magnum Photos STATE OF ANARCHY Rebellion and Abuses Against Civilians Since mid-2005, hundreds of civilians have In February and March 2007 Human Rights Watch researchers visited the majority of towns and villages been killed, more than 10 thousand houses affected, documenting summary executions, unlawful burned, and approximately 212,000 killings, beatings, house burnings, extortion and unlawful persons have fled their homes in terror to taxation, the recruitment and use of children as soldiers, and many other human rights abuses. Human Rights Watch live in desperate conditions deep in the researchers interviewed over 100 persons, including many bush in northern Central African Republic victims and witnesses, local and regional government (CAR). Bordering eastern Chad and war- officials, military commanders, rebel officials, religious leaders, and representatives of local and international ravaged Darfur in Sudan, this area has humanitarian organizations active in northern CAR. been destabilized by at least two major Until quite recently there was little international awareness rebellions against the government of of the situation in northern CAR. However, in 2006, human President François Bozizé. rights violations and breaches of international humani - tarian law began to receive some attention. The killings, The vast majority of summary executions and unlawful village burnings, displacement, and humanitarian suffering killings, and almost all village burnings, have been carried are now occasionally reported in the international press out by government forces, often in reprisal for rebel attacks. and are the subject of increasing diplomatic notice, usually While both main rebel groups have been responsible for being seen as “spill-over” from the continuing crisis in widespread looting and the forced taxation of the civilian Darfur. population in areas they control—and rebels in the northeast have committed killings, beatings, and rape— Little attention, however, has been paid to the actual their abuses pale in comparison to those of the Central dynamics of conflict, which are largely home grown. The African Armed Forces (Forces armées Centrafricaines, FACA) main rebel protagonists are Central Africans with local and the elite Presidential Guard (Garde présidentielle, GP). grievances. Human Rights Watch’s research suggests that As the International Criminal Court (ICC) begins investi - the degree of linkage with the situation in Darfur has been gations into atrocities committed during the 2002-2003 exaggerated. The APRD in the northwest is so poorly rebellion against former President Patassé, it should also equipped that it is difficult to imagine it has foreign investigate possible war crimes under its jurisdiction sponsorship. Human Rights Watch has found no other committed in the current round of fighting. evidence of such support. Although there have been contacts between the UFDR and Sudan-sponsored Chadian This report documents the human rights abuses and rebels opposed to the Chadian President Déby based in the breaches of international humanitarian law being northeast of CAR in early 2006, foreign support does not committed in northern CAR and describes the make-up, appear to be a driving force behind this rebellion. origins, and aims of the most significant rebel groups. The Popular Army for the Restoration of the Republic and Neither has attention been paid to the issue of responsi - Democracy (Armée populaire pour la restauration de la bility for human rights violations and breaches of République et la démocratie, APRD) is active in the international humanitarian law, nor to action to ensure northwestern provinces of Ouham, Ouham-Pendé, and accountability. The sorry fact is that the perpetrators of Nana-Grébizi. The Union of Democratic Forces for Unity violence and abuse, the majority of them government (Union des forces démocratiques pour la rassemblement, soldiers, have so far enjoyed total impunity for acts that UFDR) is most active in remote northeastern provinces of include war crimes. Bamingui-Bangoran and Vakaga. 4 State of Anarchy Route of February-March 2007 Human Rights Watch research mission Human Rights Watch | September 2007 5 The APRD Rebellion developed. As a result, most of the Gula population has fled government-controlled areas in fear of retaliation. The APRD rebellion in the