The Central African Republic

The Central African Republic

Order Code RS22751
November 2, 2007
The Central African Republic
Ted Dagne
Specialist in African Affairs
Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division
Summary
In March 2003, a rebellion led by former Army Chief of Staff Francois Bozize
ousted President Ange Patasse from power. In 2005, the Bozize government organized
presidential and legislative elections. In May 2005, Bozize defeated former Prime
Minster Martin Ziguele and his ruling party won 42 out of the 105 seats in the National
Assembly. The Central African Republic (CAR) has been impacted by the crisis in the
Darfur region of Sudan and suffers from internal rebellion. Fighting between rebel
groups and government forces has displaced more than 70,000 people in northeastern
CAR. In September 2007, the European Union approved the deployment of a 4,000 man
peacekeeping force to Chad and CAR. This report will not be updated.
Background
The Central African Republic (CAR), a landlocked country of 4.3 million people,
became independent in 1960. David Dacko became the first President under a one-party
system. On December 31, 1965, Dacko was ousted from power in a military coup led by
his cousin, Colonel Jean-Bedel Bokassa. In 1966, Bokassa dissolved the legislature and
rescinded the Constitution. In 1972, Bokassa became “Life President” and later named
himself “Marshall of the Republic.” In December 1976, Bokassa renamed the CAR the
Central African Empire and later had himself crowned emperor in a lavish ceremony
attended by thousands of guests. Human rights violations and rumors of bizarre practices
helped prepare the way for Bokassa's 1979 ouster by David Dacko in a coup backed by
French troops. Dacko, in turn, was overthrown in 1981 by General André Kolingba,
whose authoritarian regime lasted until 1993, when elections were held. This democratic
transition followed a long period of unrest, including recurrent strikes and opposition
protests, sparked in part by the country's economic stagnation. The election was won by
Ange Patassé, who had once served Bokassa as prime minister, but later became a leading
opponent of the former Emperor.

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Current Political Situation
In April and May 1996, the CAR army mutinied; and only the intervention of French
troops kept President Patassé in power. While the mutineers returned to base, the
rebellion was by no means crushed, and a further outbreak occurred in November. The
mutinies resulted in part from the dissatisfaction of soldiers over salary delays, but there
was an ethnic dimension as well, since most of the soldiers were from former President
Kolingba's Yakoma ethnic group, while Patassé is from another ethnic group, the Sara.
A regional mediation effort followed the November 1996 clashes, but in January
1997, two French soldiers were assassinated, and heavy fighting broke out between
French troops and the mutineers. Nonetheless, mediation efforts undertaken by the heads
of state of Gabon, Burkina Faso, Chad, and Mali continued, leading to the convening of
an all-party conference in Bangui, the capital, at the end of the month. The Bangui
Agreements reached at this conference called, among other measures, for the
establishment of a government of national unity; amnesty for the mutineers; the
disarmament of mutineers, militias, and the civilian population; and the convening of a
National Reconciliation Conference in February 1998.
M e a n w h i l e , s e v e r a l
francophone states created the Inter-
Central African Republic in Brief
African Mission to Monitor the
Implementation of the Bangui
Population: 4.3 million
Agreements (MISAB), sending in
Growth Rate: 1.5 % (2007 est.)
800 peacekeeping soldiers. This
Size: slightly smaller than Texas
operation was endorsed by the
Literacy: 51%
United Nations Security Council.
Religion: indigenous beliefs, 35%; Protestant,
MISAB made significant progress in
25%; Roman Catholic, 25%; Muslim, 15%;
implementing the disarmament
Note: animistic beliefs strongly influence
p r o v i s i o n s o f t he B a n gu i
Christian community
Agreements. It also took on general
Economy: dependent on subsistence
security functions in Bangui in order
agriculture; exports primarily timber (16%) and
to suppress a crime wave. In March
diamonds (40%), also cotton, coffee.
1998, MISAB was replaced by a
GDP (purchasing power parity): U.S.$4.9
stronger United Nations force -- the
billion (U.S. $340 per capita). (2006 est.)
United Nations Mission in the
C e n t r a l A f r i c a n R e p u b l i c
Sources: U.S. Central Intelligence Agency,
(MINURCA) -- consisting of nearly
World Factbook 2007.
1,400 African troops.
The National Reconciliation Conference concluded on March 5, 1998, with an
agreement among all political parties to accept the ballot box as the only means of taking
power, and to refrain from using the army to destabilize the country. In November 1998,
legislative elections, contested by 29 parties, were held. The Movement for the Liberation
of the Central African People (MLCP) won 47 of the 109 seats in the National Assembly.
In March 2003, a rebellion led by former Army Chief of Staff Francois Bozize
ousted President Patasse from power. Bozize declared himself President, suspended the
Constitution, and dissolved the National Assembly. In December 2004, a new

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Constitution was approved by referendum. In March 2005, presidential and legislative
elections were held. In May 2005, Bozize defeated former Prime Minster Martin Ziguele
in a second-round election. In the legislative elections, Bozize’s Convergence Kwa na
Kwa party won 42 of the 105 seats in the National Assembly, while the former ruling
MLCP won 11 seats.
Human Rights Conditions
Human rights conditions in the Central African Republic are poor, according to
human rights groups. According to the State Department, there were improvements in
some areas, although “the government’s respect for human rights deteriorated overall.”
According to the State Department’s Country Report on Human Rights Practices for
2006:
Reports of extrajudicial killings by the Central Office for the Repression
of Banditry (OCRB) decreased, but reports of the military killing civilians
increased sharply due to government counteroffensive operations against
rebels in the north. Acts of torture, beatings, rape, and other abuses of
suspects and prisoners by security forces continued to be a problem.
Impunity, particularly military impunity, worsened. Conditions in prisons
and detention centers remained harsh and life threatening. The
government's use of arbitrary arrest and detention increased significantly,
particularly following fighting in the north between rebels and the military,
which contributed to an increase in political detainees. Prolonged pretrial
detention, denial of a fair trial, and judicial corruption continued to be
problems. The government restricted freedom of the press, although to a
lesser extent than in the previous year. Freedom of movement deteriorated
greatly because of actions by security forces, armed bandits, and rebels.1
According to Human Rights Watch, government security forces routinely target
civilians they suspect of being supporters of rebel groups. According to a September
2007 Human Rights Watch report “since mid-2005, hundreds of civilians have been
killed, more than 10 thousand houses burned, and approximately 212,000 persons have
fled their homes in terror to live in desperate conditions deep in the bush in northern
Central African Republic (CAR).”2 Rebel groups have also been engaged in human rights
abuses against civilians, including beatings, kidnappings for ransom, and looting. Human
rights advocates argue that the civilian population, especially those in conflict areas and
near the border with Sudan, need protection.
The Darfur Conflict and Impact on CAR
The crisis in Darfur continues to affect Chad and the Central African Republic, in
large part due to rebellions supported by the Government of Sudan against the
governments of Chad and CAR, according to officials in the region and human rights
groups. Indeed, the conflicts in Chad and CAR are largely internal political disputes
between the respective governments and a number of armed groups.
1 [http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2006/78725.htm]
2 [http://hrw.org/reports/2007/car0907/2.htm#_Toc176766508]

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In the Central African Republic, the fighting between rebel groups and government
forces has displaced more than 70,000 people in northeastern CAR. Over the past several
months, the CAR government has recaptured towns taken by rebel groups. The CAR
armed forces, supported by French troops and a multinational force from the Central
African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC) have largely succeeded in
containing rebel advances. Meanwhile, negotiations between the government of President
Francois Bozize’ and several rebel groups have led to some agreements. In February
2007, in negotiations mediated by Libya, two rebel leaders, Abdoulaye Miskine and
Andre’ Ringui Le Gaillard, signed an agreement with the CAR government. However,
the agreement was rejected by the military chief of one of the rebel groups.
The United Nations has been working toward the deployment of a peacekeeping
force to Chad and CAR over the past several months. The United Nations has concluded
two technical assessment missions to Chad and CAR. The mandate of the proposed U.N.
multidimensional presence would include the protection of civilians and internally
displaced persons, maintenance of law and order, the facilitation of the free movement of
humanitarian assistance, and coordination with African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS)
and the U.N. Mission in Sudan (UNMIS). In August, the United Nations made important
adjustments to the proposed multidimensional force in a report submitted to the United
Nations Security Council. Instead of a United Nations military presence, the European
Union (EU) will deploy an estimated 4,000 peacekeeping troops to Chad and CAR. In
September 2007, the EU approved the deployment of a peacekeeping force.
U.S.-CAR Relations
Relations between the United States and CAR are good, although there are areas of
serious concerns. The Bush Administration has expressed concerns about poor human
rights conditions and lack of political and economic reform by the CAR government. In
March 2007, at a hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Subcommittee
on Africa, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State James Swan stated that CAR “has a history
of violence and unrest. It has experienced four coups, additional failed coup attempts, and
many years of undemocratic rule since its independence in 1960. Rebels, including some
members of the political opposition, emerged in the northwestern part of the country in
late 2005. Still other groups with alleged links to Sudan took over four northeastern towns
in October and November 2006.”
The United States closed its embassy in CAR due to security concerns in the mid-
1990s and in 2003. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the
Peace Corps did not return to CAR after the U.S. embassy closed in 1996-1997 and
reopened in 1998. In FY2007, the United States provided $20 million in humanitarian
assistance to CAR.