UNITED NATIONS (AP) – The United States, Britain and France accused Russian mercenaries on Wednesday of operating alongside the Central African Republic’s armed forces in human rights abuses against civilians and obstructing UN peacekeeping – charges immediately dismissed by Russia, the the Western nations denounced an “anti-Russian political hit job” because of their engagement.
The exchange took place at a UN Security Council meeting after the UN Special Envoy for the conflict-ridden Central African Republic, Mankeur Ndiaye, raised serious concerns about the military counter-offensive by the country’s security forces and “bilateral and other security forces”. against a coalition of rebel groups supporting the former CAR President Francois Bozize.
Describing the situation in the Central African Republic as “one of the most dangerous in the world”, Ndiaye said that the human rights and international law violations allegedly committed by the armed forces of the Central African Republic and by bilateral and other employees have never reached the violations recently committed and detailed by MINUSCA, the 15,000 strong UN peacekeeping force in the country.
As an example, he said the number of incidents related to sexual violence was five times higher in the first quarter of 2021 than the number reported in the final quarter of 2020.
While Ndiaye failed to identify “the bilateral armed forces and other security forces”, Russia has its military trained in the Central African Republic at the invitation of the government.
In a recent report to the Council by Secretary General Antonio Guterres, the Central African Republic’s security forces and bilateral armed forces were harshly criticized for “an unprecedented increase in hostile threats and incidents” against UN peacekeeping forces and alleged human rights violations. He said people in the country continued to experience “unacceptably high levels of violence”.
The mineral-rich Central African Republic has faced deadly interfaith and intercommunal fighting since 2013. A peace agreement was signed between the government and 14 rebel groups in February 2019, but violence blamed on former President Bozize and his allies threatens to nullify the agreement.
It broke out after the Constitutional Court rejected Bozize’s candidacy for president in December. Faustin Archange Touadera won a second term with 53% of the vote, but he continues to face opposition from rebel forces linked to Bozize.
US Deputy Ambassador Richard Mills took note of Secretary General Guterres’ report that incidents of human rights and international humanitarian law violations had increased by 28% in the past four months. He said the United States was deeply concerned about the mounting attacks on Muslims and the alarming increase in human rights violations by national and bilateral personnel.
“I think we need to be clear about these bilateral personnel – the individuals who are committing what many now call ‘atrocities’ are not independent actors – they are acting as an extension of the Russian Defense Ministry,” he said.
Mills said the Biden administration was “deeply concerned” that Russia had failed to “prevent its mercenaries from obstructing MINUSCA’s movement on a daily basis.” On May 28, he condemned an “appalling incident in which these bilateral Russian actors threatened” the Deputy Special Envoy of MINUSCA and a UN delegation on a humanitarian mission in Bang, near the Central African Republic’s border with Chad and Cameroon.
The French ambassador to the UN, Nicolas De Riviere, described the situation in the Central African Republic as “dramatic” and referred to extrajudicial executions, gang rape, torture, occupation of schools and violence, which was particularly directed against Muslim communities, “like the murder of a traditional chief shows a few days ago. ”
“Let’s be clear: Central African armed groups are no longer the only threat to the Central African people,” said De Riviere.
He said reports by the Secretary-General and UN experts overseeing the sanctions against the Central African Republic “point to the responsibility of a new actor operating alongside the Central African Armed Forces whose status is a mystery”.
“Some will try to deny the presence of the Wagner Company,” said De Riviere, calling on MINUSCA to provide details of who the men are fighting in the Central African Republic and to whom they are accountable for their actions. The Wagner Group is a Kremlin-backed security company that was involved in the conflict in Libya.
British Deputy Ambassador James Roscoe said the armed groups are “frankly fueling instability to fill their own pockets”.
“And now a new factor of instability: Russian private military companies that are acting together with the national armed forces to obstruct MINUSCA and violate the rights of civilians and citizens of the Central African Republic,” he said.
Roscoe said human rights violations, including sexual violence, were committed not only by armed groups, “but also by members of the national armed forces and Russian private military personnel accompanying them.”
He said the Russians would deny this, “but the evidence is mounting and overwhelming and I hope they will reflect on the role they want to play in the Central African Republic and their responsibilities as a permanent member of that council.”
Russia’s Deputy UN Ambassador Anna Evstigneeva countered that Russian trainers “successfully improve the skills of the Central African security forces without taking part in military actions against illegal armed groups”.
She said there were constant “dubious” attempts to discredit her without evidence, particularly in the US and French media using anonymous sources.
“It looks more like an anti-Russian political hit job,” said Evstigneeva.
“The unsubstantiated allegations from the US are no accident,” she said. “Our colleagues seem to see Russian trainers or mercenaries everywhere.”
Edith M. Lederer, The Associated Press
