Topic: The Situation in the Central African Republic
Country: Kazakhstan
Delegate Name: Safi-ur-Rahman Syed
School: Saginaw Arts and Sciences Academy
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Kazakhstan position papers GLIMUN 2017 committees
The Central African Republic (CAR) has been in a civil war since 2012, when the Seleka group overran the government due to claims of violating a peace agreement. Since then, two major militant groups, the ex-Seleka (since the Seleka were formally disbanded) and the Antibalaka have taken control over much of the country and have been fighting over ideologies and resources, harming many civilians in the process. 50,000 people have fled as refugees from the CAR and 820 people have died in the conflict. There are currently 12,300 peacekeepers from MINUSCA (Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic) trying to maintain the peace and protect the civilians of the nation. The peacekeepers are also in danger, as members of the Antibalaka have targeted Moroccan peacekeepers.
The Republic of Kazakhstan disapproves of the bloody civil war that is occurring in the CAR because it violates some of the goals that Kazakhstan plans to achieve with its foreign policy, such as strengthening the peace of global and regional security, and the establishment of a fair world order under the guidance of the UN. The first one is obviously violated with the instability and the bloodshed happening in the CAR at the moment. The second one is violated due to the threats posed to the UN peacekeepers by the militant groups.
Although Kazakhstan does not have any direct involvement in the region, two of its key partners, the United States and the European Union, do. The United States sent $95 million in humanitarian aid, and is one of the principal donors to the Special Criminal Court, the national justice system in the CAR. The EU is the CAR’s largest donor and has donated €409 million (or $450 million in USD) over five years towards efforts such as humanitarian aid, peacebuilding, and development within the country. The EU also attended the Brussels International Conference which pledged €2.06 billion (or $2.28 billion in USD) overall to the CAR. The EU also approved the establishment of the EUTM RCA, a military training program to train two battalions of the national army. Kazakhstan fully supports the efforts by the U.S. and the EU to maintain peace in the region by supporting the national government and providing aid to the civilians.
