Topic: 2026 – Situation in the Central African Republic
Country: France
Delegate Name: Tatum Grimes
Topic: 2026-Situation in the Central African Republic
Country: French Republic
Delegate Name: Tatum Grimes
This body has once again fallen into the same pattern of complacency that has defined it since its inception. It has become painfully clear that a near decade old mission that has not done anything to bring an end to the conflict in the Central African Republic will not magically start working no matter how much we want it to. Some have interpreted the correct idea that we ought not take the side of either the Anti-Balaka groups committing violence against Muslims groups nor Seleka committing violence against Christians to mean that we must do nothing about either group, rather than acting against both. Neutrality does not require inaction, and compassion does not require weakness. The attacks in Bangui that resulted from MINUSCA attempts to disarm violent Ex-Seleka members in the PK5 neighborhood have understandably created concern around taking similar action against either side again. But the problem with the mission in Bangui wasn’t that MINUSCA shouldn’t have done anything to disarm one terrorist group, it’s that it didn’t do anything to disarm the other and as a result left the Muslim citizens in PK5 vulnerable. To make sure that the protection of both Christian and Muslims are treated equally and effectively the French Republic has created several pieces of what should end up as a larger collaborative plan.
The first step is to extend MINUSCA’s mandate to use preemptive force against terrorist groups past its current expiration date in November of this year. This will allow the organization to continue to respond to threats against civilian populations and do so effectively. The troop ceiling of just over 14,000 military personnel also must be raised, by how much is an issue that should be discussed thoroughly in the upcoming conference. To ensure that both Muslim and Christian civilians are protected equally France recommends the creation of a board of trusted Muslim and Christian community members that would be evenly split between the two groups. Despite Muslims only making up about ten percent of the CAR population, they are still one of the victims of the current conflict and should be treated equally to their Christian counterparts. This board would be able to hold a vote on any offensive actions, and both halves must have a majority for any specific plan to go through. Membership would require long and intensive background checks, and individual membership would be able to be revoked at the discretion of the UNSC with a simple majority vote, veto power notwithstanding. This would be paired with the expansion of refugee camps where any sort of attack would be responded too with overwhelming force.
The UNSC deciding whether it will allow MINUSCA to continue engage forces that mean to harm civilian populations in the Central African Republic is one of the great issues of our time. When paired with the question of how to best set up the systems to best decide how to protect civilians, it might be the defining issue. The precedent that we would be setting requires examination and analysis from multiple angles, and the France understands that out perspective is just one of many and we look forward to working with other member nations to make such an important decision.
Center for Preventive Action. “Violence in the Central African Republic.” Global Conflict Tracker, 25 Apr. 2023, www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/violence-central-african-republic.
“Central African Republic: Muslims Forced to Flee.” Human Rights Watch, 12 Feb. 2014, www.hrw.org/news/2014/02/12/central-african-republic-muslims-forced-flee.
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM in CENTRAL AFRICA UNITED STATES COMMISSION on INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM Religious Freedom Concerns in Central Africa. 2023. https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2023%20Factsheet%20-%20Religious%20Freedom%20Concerns%20in%20Central%20Africa.pdf
