Adopted by the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) at its 848th meeting held on 9 May 2019 on the situation in the Central African Republic (CAR)
The Peace and Security Council,
Taking note of the "Report of the Chairperson of the Commission on the Status of Implementation of the Political Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation in the Central African Republic" and the briefing made by the AU Commissioner for Peace and Security, H.E Ambassador Smail Chergui, as well as the introductory remarks made by the Permanent Representative of Rwanda to the African Union, H.E. Ambassador Hope Tumukunde Gasatura, in her capacity as the PSC Chairperson for the month of May 2019;
Also taking note of the statements made by the Ambassador of the Central African Re-public (CAR) to the AU, the representative of the Republic of Gabon, current Chair of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) and by the representatives of the United Nations and the European Union (EU);
Recalling its previous communiqués on the situation in the CAR, particularly that of its 826th meeting, held at the Ministerial level on 9 February 2019 and the Press Statement of its 834th meeting, held on 21 March 2019;
Congratulating President Faustin-Archange Touadéra and the members of his Government on the initial measures taken for the implementation of the Political Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation (PAPR) and reiterating its support to the members of the Armed Groups (AGs) on the continuation, with determination, to implement the 11 priority activities of the PAPR, including the adoption of a Roadmap specifying the timetable for their effective implementation;
Reiterating its commitment to respect the unity and the territorial integrity of the CAR and the sovereignty of the CAR Government, as regards the ownership, protection and exploitation of the natural resources of the country; and
Acting under Article 7 of its Protocol, the Peace and Security Council:
Stresses the imperative need for all the signatories to scrupulously respect the PAPR, in particular its provisions imposing the cessation of hostilities throughout the territory of the CAR;
Requests the Government and the AGs to establish conditions conducive to the actual implementation of the Agreement and to honour their commitments as outlined in Article 5 of the PAPR, in particular the cessation of hostilities and all acts of violence and intimidation, the scrupulous respect for the authority of the State, to participate actively and resolutely in the Dis-armament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) program and for the deployment and operationalization of the Joint Special Security Units (USMS) by communicating the global list of their combatants;
Stresses the need for the AU, in its capacity as Guarantor of the Agreement, to continue to monitor, very closely, the process of implementation of the PAPR and mobilize the support of the Member States for the implementation of the Agreement;
Encourages the Government of the CAR, with the support of the Guarantors and Facilitators and the support of its partners, to redouble their efforts and to take the necessary additional measures, including those aimed at strengthening confidence between the signatory parties, to accelerate and activate the various mechanisms for implementing and monitoring the PAPR and for the establishment of the Truth, Justice, Reconciliation and Reparation Commission (CVJRR), launch the sensitization campaign and popularization of the Agreement for its ownership by the people, maintain constant dialogue with the AGs for the implementation of the major DDR, including the national Security Sector Reform (SSR) program, strengthen the fight against impunity through effective Transitional justice, taking into account the AU Transitional Justice Policy and implementation of political reforms, including the preparation and organization of elections in 2020-2021;
Urges all Central African citizens, the signatories to the Agreement, political actors, the religious leaders, the Women, Youths Associations and other Civil Society Organizations to take ownership of the PAPR and actively promote it for the restoration of lasting peace throughout the country;
Commends the AU Commission, in particular, the Commissioner for Peace and Security, for his relentless efforts to enable the AU to honour its commitments and fully play its central role as the Guarantor of the PAPR, both, with the signatory parties and the other Facilitators, in order to ensure the honouring of the commitments by all stakeholders, the monitoring and full implementation of all the provisions of the Agreement; and in this respect, welcomes the ongo-ing measures for the deployment and operationalization of the Joint Special Security Units (USMS), including the Military Observers, as well as the actions envisaged in the execution of the other priority activities of the PAPR as determined by the CAR Government;
Expresses its satisfaction with the cooperation and coordination of the AU with ECCAS, the United Nations, the EU, the World Bank and all other bilateral and multilateral partners within the International Support Group to the CAR (ISG-CAR), for the initial progress made by the PAPR, as well as for the pledges made by the members of ISG-CAR for the continuation of their support, extended to other sectors identified in the National Recovery and Peace-building Plan (RCPCA); calls on the Commission to maintain and enhance this cooperation and coordination to ensure a smooth and successful implementation of the PAPR, including assistance to the overall recovery of the CAR;
Supports fully the actions taken by the Commission to mobilize additional human, financial and material resources from AU Member States to enable the AU and its Mission in the Central African Republic and Central Africa (MISAC) to effectively honour the commitments as Guarantor of the PAPR, including the strengthening of MISAC and the contribution to the imple-mentation of the PAPR priorities identified by the Government;
Urges all Member States to provide assistance, particularly to neighboring countries of the CAR and the Central African region, to enhance their bilateral cooperation relations with the CAR, particularly by revitalizing the Joint Commissions and in this regard welcomes the convening in Bangui, on 6 and 7 May 2019, of the Joint CAR-Cameroon Commission and the announce-ment made by the Republic of Chad to also convene the Joint CAR-Chad Commission;
Pays tribute to the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), ECCAS and the EU for their continued multifaceted support to stabilize the CAR and its main institutions, as well as for their significant contributions towards the implementation of the PAPR; and to this end, stresses the urgent need for building the capacity of MINUSCA and of the Central African Government to establish conditions conducive to peace, stability and balanced, sustainable and inclusive development;
Requests the CAR Configuration of the UN Peace-Building Commission, chaired by the Kingdom of Morocco, to make every efforts to ensure that the situation in CAR remains at the top of the agenda of this Commission and the pledges made on CAR should be honored; calls on the AU Member States to provide political support to the next UN High-Level Segment of the ECOSOC to be held in June 2019 in Geneva, Switzerland, and ensure that CAR is also a priority during this Segment;
Decides to remain actively seized of the situation in CAR.