A/HRC/30/59
20 January; and the Minister of Youth and Sports, Armel Sayo, was kidnapped on 25
January and released on 10 February.
25. About 2,000 former Séléka combatants and their families remain billeted in three
military camps in Bangui, known as the Régiment de défense opérationnelle du
territoire (Regiment for the operational defence of the country) (RDOT), Béal and
Bataillon du soutien et des services (Support and services battalion) (BSS) camps, and
they have at their disposal a large supply of war material and ammunition. However,
an agreement to clear the Béal camp of its stockpile of explosives and ammunition
was signed with the armed groups at the end of May.
26. Security has gradually returned to the rest of the country, thanks to increased
patrolling by MINUSCA. However, there was still a very real presence of armed
groups throughout the year, with anti-balaka groups controlling the western part of the
country and former Séléka combatants controlling the northern and eastern areas. The
country is also still under threat of action by members of other armed groups, such as
the Lord’s Resistance Army in the west or Révolution et Justice and the Front
Démocratique du Peuple Centrafricain in the east. The Secretary -General of the
United Nations has also warned about the unconfirmed presence near the border with
Cameroon of members of Boko Haram who may be seeking to expand their terro rist
activities into the Central African Republic.
27. Given the virtual absence of State authority in the interior of the country, armed
groups continue to tax citizens illegally and profit from illegal mining activities. With
support from MINUSCA, the Government has begun stationing civil servants in posts
throughout the country, although only 8 out of 16 prefects have been posted thus far.
The Independent Expert also noted that the judiciary and the police and gendarmerie
forces still have only a limited presence or none at all in many areas, particularly in
the east of the country.
28. While the outline and strategy of the disarmament, demobilization and
reintegration programme were drawn up at the Bangui Forum, as at the end of June,
the Government and MINUSCA were still awaiting funds for its implementation.
29. Since the Bangui Forum, there have been several security incidents involving
members of armed groups, notably one in early June in which two peacekeepers were
injured in an ambush reportedly carried out by the anti-balaka. These incidents
highlight the lack of cohesion within the armed groups, as rogue elements continue to
commit acts that violate the agreements signed by their leaders.
C.
Economic context
30. The Central African Republic is one of the poorest countries in the world, with a
ranking of 185 out of 187 on the Human Development Index. 2 The country has
historically lacked infrastructure — a situation that results in the geographic and
spatial exclusion of its people and exacerbates rural poverty. 3 In 2014, the country
experienced a modest economic recovery, which is expected to continue in 2015 and
2016 thanks to the improved security situation and the holding of credible presidential
and legislative elections.
31. In peacetime, the four generators of wealth are diamonds, timber, cotton and
livestock. Processing industries, which were just beginning to develop before the
crisis, were negatively affected but have subsequently experienced a partial recovery.
__________________
2
3
8/22
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), 2014 (see http://hdr.undp.org/en/data).
The road network covers a total distance of 24,000 km, of which only 700 km are paved.
GE.15-12489
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