BEREICH | EVENTL. ABTEILUNG | WWW.ROTESKREUZ.AT ACCORD - Austrian Centre for Country of Origin & Asylum Research and Documentation Central African Republic (CAR): COI Compilation December 2018 This report serves the specific purpose of collating legally relevant information on conditions in countries of origin pertinent to the assessment of claims for asylum. It is not intended to be a general report on human rights conditions. The report is prepared within a specified time frame on the basis of publicly available documents as well as information provided by experts. All sources are cited and fully referenced. This report is not, and does not purport to be, either exhaustive with regard to conditions in the country surveyed, or conclusive as to the merits of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Every effort has been made to compile information from reliable sources; users should refer to the full text of documents cited and assess the credibility, relevance and timeliness of source material with reference to the specific research concerns arising from individual applications. © Austrian Red Cross/ACCORD An electronic version of this report is available on www.ecoi.net. Austrian Red Cross/ACCORD Wiedner Hauptstraße 32 A- 1040 Vienna, Austria Phone: +43 1 58 900 – 582 E-Mail: [email protected] Web: http://www.redcross.at/accord This report was commissioned by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Division of International Protection. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it endorse, its content. TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 Brief overview of the security situation ................................................................................. 4 2 Brief overview of the political situation ................................................................................. 9 3 Brief overview of the humanitarian situation ...................................................................... 13 4 Overview of state security forces and law enforcement .................................................... 16 4.1 Central African Armed Forces (Forces armées centrafricaines, FACA) ........................... 17 4.2 Internal Security Forces (Police and Gendarmerie) ......................................................... 21 4.3 Presidential Guard ............................................................................................................. 23 4.4 Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) ................................................................................................................................. 24 5 Overview of armed groups ................................................................................................... 26 5.1 Ex-Séléka ............................................................................................................................. 28 5.1.1 Front Populaire pour la Renaissance de la Centrafrique (FPRC) .............................. 28 5.1.2 Union pour la Paix en Centrafrique (UPC) ................................................................. 30 5.1.3 Mouvement Patriotic Centrafricain (MPC), including MPC-Siriri ............................. 32 5.2 Anti-Balaka ......................................................................................................................... 34 5.3 Retour, réclamation et réhabilitation (3R) ....................................................................... 37 5.4 Révolution and Justice (RJ) ................................................................................................ 38 5.5 Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) ............................................................................................ 39 5.6 Clashes between armed groups in 2017 and 2018 .......................................................... 40 5.7 Situation in PK5 neighbourhood of Bangui ....................................................................... 44 6 Ethnic groups ......................................................................................................................... 48 6.1 Gbaya (Baya) ...................................................................................................................... 49 6.2 Ngbandi .............................................................................................................................. 50 6.3 Fulani (Peuhl), including Mbororo .................................................................................... 51 6.4 Goula (Gula)........................................................................................................................ 56 6.5 Rounga (Runga) .................................................................................................................. 57 6.6 Ba’aka (Aka) ........................................................................................................................ 58 7 Religious groups .................................................................................................................... 60 7.1 Christians ............................................................................................................................ 61 7.2 Muslims .............................................................................................................................. 62 7.3 Traditional/indigenous religious groups ........................................................................... 64 8 Human rights situation ......................................................................................................... 66 8.1 Torture, inhuman and degrading treatment .................................................................... 67 8.1.1 State actors ................................................................................................................. 67 8.1.2 Non-state actors ......................................................................................................... 67 8.2 Extrajudicial (arbitrary and unlawful) killings ................................................................... 68 8.2.1 State actors ................................................................................................................. 68 8.2.2 Non-state actors ......................................................................................................... 68 8.3 Abduction, enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrest and detention ........................... 71 8.3.1 State actors ................................................................................................................. 71 8.3.2 Non-state actors ......................................................................................................... 71 2 8.4 Sexual violence, sexual exploitation and abuse ............................................................... 72 8.4.1 State actors ................................................................................................................. 74 8.4.2 Non-state actors ......................................................................................................... 75 8.5 Extortion and looting ......................................................................................................... 78 8.5.1 State actors ................................................................................................................. 78 8.5.2 Non-state actors ......................................................................................................... 79 8.6 Occupation of and attacks on schools, health centres and places of worship ............... 83 8.6.1 Schools ........................................................................................................................ 83 8.6.2 Places of worship ........................................................................................................ 85 8.6.3 Health centres ............................................................................................................ 87 8.7 Rule of Law and access to justice ...................................................................................... 89 8.8 Forced labour ..................................................................................................................... 96 8.9 Freedom of religion ........................................................................................................... 99 8.10 Treatment of persons accused of practicing witchcraft......................................... 104 8.11 Freedom of expression ............................................................................................ 106 8.12 Treatment of women ............................................................................................... 109 8.12.1 FGM ........................................................................................................................... 109 8.12.2 Sexual and gender-based violence, including domestic violence .......................... 112 8.12.3 Situation of widows and of divorced women ......................................................... 113 8.13 Treatment of children .............................................................................................. 114 8.13.1 Forced and underage recruitment and use of children ......................................... 114 8.13.2 Access to education ................................................................................................. 118 8.14 Treatment of individuals of diverse sexual orientations