Topic:
Country: India
Delegate Name: Arjun Singh
Country: India
Committee: SPECPOL
Topic: Central African Republic
Delegate: Arjun Singh
School: Saginaw Arts and Sciences Academy
The civil war in the Central African Republic has been one of the most violent and tragic wars of this century. Tensions between Muslims and Christians within the Central African Republic have been high since its independence from France in 1960. In December 2012 Muslim Seleka forces staged a coup d’etat to oust president François Bozizé and installed Michel Djotodia. During the coup, Seleka forces viciously murdered and raped the civilians of Bangui. In response, the African Union and France sent troops to disarm the Seleka. At the same time, a coalition of discontented predominantly Christian civilians formed a group called the Anti-Balaka to protect themselves from the Seleka. With the Seleka mostly disarmed, the Anti-Balaka set its sight on overthrowing president Djotodia and getting revenge on the Seleka. Anti-Balaka forces started massacring Muslims. Since 2013 417 of the country’s 436 mosques have been destroyed. Also, 80% of the Muslims living in the country have fled to Chad and Cameroon (Forbes). The United Nations has had peacekeeping forces within the Central African Republic for more than 20 years. The United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) has grown to 15,000 strong and is currently the most extensive and most expensive peacekeeping mission.
As a current member of the United Nations Security Council, India has voted for all legislation supporting further aid by UN peacekeepers in the Central African Republic. The Central African Republic is just one of many places facing the issue of radical Islamic terrorism. The Indian people have also experienced years of religious conflict and are sympathetic to the people of the Central African Republic. As a postcolonial state, India has faced many of the same struggles the Central African Republic has. The delegation of India believes developing countries must provide input and assist the Central African Republic with becoming a more stable nation.
The delegation of India is appalled by the situation in the Central African Republic. International involvement is necessary. French troops and the African Unions MISCA troops have been unable to handle this situation and have shown a clear bias in supporting the Anti-Balaka. Neglectful actions such as mass disarmament have led to the ethnic cleansing we have seen over the past few years. Increased UN involvement allows the international community to vote more directly on solutions that can be implemented by peacekeeping forces. SPECPOL must work towards long-term solutions decided on by the international community to keep the people of the Central African Republic safe and give them hope for a better future. Many of the issues faced by the Central African Republic are the results of its abysmal Human Development Index and various issues resulting from poverty. Factors such as improving women’s education, decreasing pollution, increasing food availability, and providing better infrastructure are possible targets for the committee.
