United Nations Security Council Resolution 2566 – The situation in the Central African RepublicLetter from the President of the Council on the voting outcome (S/2021/253) and voting details (S/2021/258)
Resolution 2566 (2021)
The Security Council,
Recalling all of its previous resolutions, statements of its President, and press statements on the situation in the Central African Republic (CAR),
Expressing its grave concern at the deterioration of the situation in the Central African Republic due to armed group attacks in advance of and following the election of 27 December 2020,
Condemning in the strongest terms violations of the Political Agreement on Peace and Reconciliation in the CAR (“The Peace Agreement”) and violence perpetrated by armed groups and other militias, including violence aiming at obstructing the electoral process, incitement to ethnic and religious hatred and violence, violations of international humanitarian law and human rights violations and abuses, including those committed against children and those involving sexual and gender-based violence in conflict, as well as violence directed at civilians from specific communities, resulting in deaths, injuries and displacements,
Taking note of the decision of the Constitutional Court of the Central African Republic of 18 January 2021, ruling on the electoral challenges and proclaiming the election of President Touadéra, and calling on all stakeholders to respect the Constitutional Court’s decision, reaffirm their commitment to the consolidation of democracy and the rule of law in the Central African Republic and contribute to a peaceful and credible conclusion of the electoral process,
Welcoming the roadmap for dialogue proposed by President Touadéra and calling for concrete steps from the government of the Central African Republic and all political actors to engage effectively in dialogue, resolve outstanding issues and conclude the electoral process through the organization of legislative and local elections, reiterating that only inclusive, free, fair, transparent, credible, peaceful and timely elections, undisturbed by disinformation and other forms of manipulation of information, can bring lasting stability to the CAR, including through the full, equal and meaningful participation of women, reaffirming the importance of the participation of the youth, and encouraging the CAR authorities, with the support of relevant partners, to promote the participation of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees in accordance with the Constitution of the CAR,
Urging all signatory parties to the Peace Agreement to fully honour their commitments and join the path of dialogue and peace and stressing the urgent and imperative need to end impunity in the CAR and to bring to justice perpetrators of violations of international humanitarian law and of violations and abuses of human rights, while encouraging the national authorities to continue their efforts to make the Truth, Justice, Reparation and Reconciliation Commission operational,
Welcoming the communique of the African Union Peace and Security Council after its meeting on the CAR on 16 February 2021, also welcoming the meeting of Heads of States held in Luanda on 29 January 2021, and encouraging continued and coordinated mobilization of the region, in particular the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) and the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), aimed at strengthening dialogue, easing tensions and seeking concerted political solutions to the crisis,
Expressing serious concern about the dire humanitarian situation in the CAR and the consequences of the security situation on humanitarian access, condemning in the strongest terms increased attacks against humanitarian workers, emphasising the current humanitarian needs of more than half of the population of the country, including civilians under threat from violence, as well as the alarming situation of IDPs and refugees, welcoming the collaboration between MINUSCA, UN agencies, the African Union, the World Bank, technical and financial partners of the CAR and NGOs to support development and humanitarian efforts in the CAR and their adaptation to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has exacerbated existing vulnerabilities, and calling on Member States and international and regional organisations to respond swiftly to the humanitarian needs identified in the humanitarian response plan through increased contributions and to ensure that all pledges are honoured in full and in a timely manner,
Stressing the valuable role of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) in bringing strategic advice, providing observations for the Security Council’s consideration, and fostering a more coherent, coordinated and integrated approach to international peacebuilding efforts, and encouraging relevant partners to support the efforts of the CAR authorities through the National Strategy for Recovery and Peace Consolidation (RCPCA) to lay the foundation of durable peace in the CAR and sustainable development of all regions of the country, to boost peace dividends for the population and development projects, including critical investments in infrastructure,
Condemning in the strongest terms all attacks, provocations and incitement to hatred and violence against MINUSCA and other international forces by armed groups or other perpetrators, paying tribute to the personnel of MINUSCA who sacrificed their lives in the service of peace, underlining that attacks targeting peacekeepers may constitute war crimes, calling on all parties to fully respect their obligations under international humanitarian law and urging the CAR authorities to work with MINUSCA to enhance the safety and security of MINUSCA’s personnel, including in line with resolution 2518 (2020), and to take all possible measures to arrest and prosecute perpetrators,
Taking note of the Report of the Secretary-General of 16 February 2021 (S/2021/146), recommending an increase of 2,750 military and 940 police personnel, with the aim of enabling the Mission to enhance its capacity to prevent and reverse a further deterioration in the security situation while creating space for the political process to advance,
Reaffirming the basic principles of peacekeeping, such as consent of the parties, impartiality, and non-use of force, except in self-defence and defence of the mandate, recognising that the mandate of each peacekeeping mission is specific to the need and situation of the country concerned, underlining that the mandates that it authorises are consistent with the basic principles, reiterating that the Security Council expects full delivery of the mandates it authorises, and recalling in this regard its resolution 2436 (2018),
Taking note of the request of the CAR authorities to lift the arms embargo and of the positions expressed by ECCAS and ICGLR, reiterating its readiness to r eview the arms embargo measures, through inter alia suspension or progressive lifting, in the light of progress achieved on the key benchmarks established by the Security Council, and stressing the need for the CAR authorities to ensure physical protection , control, management, traceability, and accountability of weapons, ammunition and military equipment transferred to their control,
Determining that the situation in the CAR continues to constitute a threat to international peace and security in the region,
Acting under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations,
- Decides to increase the authorized size of MINUSCA’s military component by 2,750 and to increase the authorized size of MINUSCA’s police component by 940, from the current levels authorized in paragraph 27 of resolution 2552 (2020);
2. Stresses that these reinforcements are aimed at enhancing MINUSCA’s ability to perform its priority mandated tasks in the current evolving context, in particular protection of civilians and facilitation of humanitarian access, and at enabling the Mission to enhance its capacity to prevent and reverse a further deterioration in the security situation while creating space for the political process to advance, further stresses that these new capabilities are not a substitute for the national authorities’ primary responsibility to advance the peace process and protect the population, notes that these reinforcements should be sequenced through a phased approach, recalls the importance of cooperation between MINUSCA and the CAR authorities in line with its mandate, and requests the Secretary-General to review implementation, performance and necessity ahead of each phase as part of the reports requested in paragraph 54 of resolution 2552 (2020) and to include in its report of 11 October 2021 a proposal on the overall configuration of MINUSCA’s Force;
3. Requests the Secretary-General to ensure that decisions regarding deployment of all personnel to MINUSCA adhere to:
(i) peacekeeping performance requirements under resolutions 2378 (2017)and 2436 (2018), including greater utilisation of the Peacekeeping Capability Readiness System (PCRS) to ensure the recruitment and retention of qualified uniformed personnel;
(ii) implementing resolution 2518 (2020), including by taking all appropriate measures to enhance the safety and security of MINUSCA’s personnel;
(iii) implementing resolution 1325 (2000) and subsequent resolutions on women, peace, and security, including by seeking to increase the number of women in MINUSCA in line with resolution 2538 (2020), and requests further that such deployment ensure the full, equal and meaningful participation of women in all aspects of operations;
(iv) the United Nations zero-tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse as well as to the provisions of resolution 2272 (2016);
4. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.
Adopted by the Security Council on 12 March 2021.
