United Nations S/2015/943 Security Council Distr.: General 10 December 2015 Original: English Letter dated 10 December 2015 from the Secretary-General addressed to the President of the Security Council I have the honour to transmit herewith a note verbale dated 1 December 2015 from the Permanent Mission of France to the United Nations and a report on the activities of Operation Sangaris in the Central African Republic from 15 July to 15 November 2015 (see annex). I should be grateful if you could bring the present letter and its annex to the attention of the members of the Security Council. (Signed) BAN Ki-moon 15-21792 (E) 111215 *1521792* S/2015/943 Annex to the letter dated 10 December 2015 from the Secretary-General addressed to the President of the Security Council The Permanent Mission of France to the United Nations presents its compliments to the Office of the Secretary-General and has the honour to transmit herewith, pursuant to paragraph 50 of Security Council resolution 2217 (2015), a report on the activities carried out between 15 July and 15 November 2015 by French forces in support of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (see enclosure). The Permanent Mission of France would be grateful if the report would be brought to the attention of the members of the Security Council. 2/5 15-21792 S/2015/943 Enclosure [Original: French] Support provided by Operation Sangaris to the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic under its mandate Reporting period: 15 July to 15 November 2015 Basis of support to the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic By its resolution 2217 (2015), the Security Council extended the mandate of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) by one year and authorized the French forces, within the limits of their capacities and areas of deployment, to use all necessary means to provide operational support to elements of MINUSCA. Context of support actions The period from 15 July to 15 November 2015 can be divided into two phases. From 15 July until the end of September, joint actions by the Sangaris force and MINUSCA were carried out with increasing levels of coordination and engagement. Since the end of September, MINUSCA has continued to grow in terms of troops and equipment, allowing joint actions to be reduced and replaced by support actions, which Sangaris provided to MINUSCA. Changes in the size of the Sangaris force The size of the Sangaris force, composed of 1,900 troops in November 2014, was first reduced in March 2015 to 1,670 troops and two tactical groups, and was further reduced in June 2015 to 900 troops and a single tactical group. Today, it comprises 900 troops commanded by a Colonel. This format has made it possible to provide support to MINUSCA, to contain the unrest in Bangui and to carry out specific actions in the central corridor as far as Sibut. Changes in the area covered by the Sangaris force The force has adjusted its area of action to take the drawdown into account while ensuring operational continuity. On 4 August the force withdrew from Bambari, and today Sibut remains the only provincial site with a permanent area of action where the force is deployed. During this drawdown, the force continued to conduct dynamic and in-depth operations, as part of the “ORPHEE” operation, for example, which enabled route reconnaissance in the western part of the Central African Republic over a period of two weeks. Events at the end of September in Bangui and the ensuing period of tension induced the force to further focus its efforts on the capital. Specific short-term operations were also carried out in the central corridor. 15-21792 3/5 S/2015/943 Generic actions undertaken by the Sangaris force • France’s operational actions are guided by respect for human rights and international conventions. – With regard to prevention, jointly with MINUSCA, the Sangaris force has adopted a deterrent posture based on frequent independent or joint patrols; – The Sangaris force and MINUSCA react decisively to human rights violations, intervening as swiftly as possible. • In the context of confidence-building measures, the Sangaris force has been supporting MINUSCA by implementing and overseeing measures for the disarmament and barracking of armed groups in its areas of deployment. • The joint action of the Sangaris force and MINUSCA has contributed significantly to the overall improvement in the security situation, including in the provinces. • Over the last four months, while it is not possible to talk about economic development, stabilization in economic activity has been possible thanks to control over the main supply road by MINUSCA. The incidents at the end of September and October in Bangui have had few repercussions on economic activity in the city. Substantive support provided to the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic • In accordance with the technical agreement of 3 October 2014, the Sangaris force provides operational and logistical support to MINUSCA. • French officers, including the Chief of General Staff of MINUSCA, have been integrated on an ongoing basis into the general staff of MINUSCA. While those officers have no obligations in relation to Sangaris, they facilitate mutual understanding of the intentions of, and coordination between, the two international forces. • A Sangaris liaison detachment comprising 9 officers, non-commissioned officers and troops has been incorporated into major MINUSCA structures. They have been assigned as follows: – Three officers to MINUSCA force headquarters; – Two officers to the MINUSCA joint task force police command; – One officer to the Office of the Director of Mission Support; – One officer, one non-commissioned officer and one troop member to the Sector Head Quarter of the Centre sector, providing for a rapid increase in MINUSCA actions in the central corridor. • The French and MINUSCA force commanders interact regularly in a unified manner with the transitional authorities and the main stakeholders in order to coordinate their joint actions. The commanders of the different forces (Sangaris, MINUSCA and the European Union Military Advisory Mission) meet each week. 4/5 15-21792 S/2015/943 • As regards coordination and mutual support, the planning cells J5/J35 of the Sangaris force and the planning cells U5/U35 of MINUSCA meet on a regular basis to share plans for the operations of the two forces and to define joint operations, such as the Free Movement operation of MINUSCA of 16 November 2015. • During the reporting period, the Sangaris force and MINUSCA carried out joint patrols in the sectors where French forces were deployed (Bambari, Sibut and Bangui; then only Sibut and Bangui). • Several major joint operations were carried out: – Orion, from 21 July to 5 August, a joint operation with two objectives: to show the capacity of the force to be rapidly deployed to the central corridor, and to show MINUSCA that logistical withdrawal by the force from that area did not signify abandonment; – Cerbère, from 28 August to 11 September: support to stabilization of the Centre sector (Bambari-Sibut); – Cerbère 2, from 11 to 17 September: support to MINUSCA in its role as the main security actor in the central corridor; – Rapax, from 25 to 26 September: a joint operation with MINUSCA police in the fourth district; – Centaure 2, from 10 to 11 October: an operation aimed at preventing elements of the Front populaire pour la renaissance de la Centrafrique (FPRC) from infiltrating Bangui, crossing the red line defined by MINUSCA. • In addition to these planned operations, the Sangaris force was induced to provide support to MINUSCA in Bangui against armed combatants on several occasions: – At the end of September, when major inter-community incidents broke out in the capital following the murder of a Muslim by Christians, the Sangaris force was induced to support MINUSCA in its mission to control the capital area. On 29 September, this support took the form of a joint exercise on the “Juliette” route, to dismantle, under fire, a large series of barricades. – Between 29 October and 4 November, the Sangaris force provided repeated support to MINUSCA in its mission to control the capital area. On 4 November, it engaged units to support MINUSCA, which was being attacked on the “Mike” route while escorting a convoy. Several belligerents were neutralized during these incidents. • The Sangaris force provides logistical support by carrying out maintenance operations on French vehicles that have been lent to African MINUSCA contingents. • Finally, in terms of medical support, Sangaris no longer carries out any medical procedures for MINUSCA, which now has complete autonomy in that regard. 15-21792 5/5 .