State of the World's Minorities and Indigenous Peoples 2016 - Central African Republic

Events of 2015

Since 2013, CAR has been consumed by violence between primarily Christian and Muslim militias, resulting in an increasingly sectarian environment where civilians have been targeted on the basis of their religious identity. The conflict began with the formation of an alliance (Séléka) of largely Muslim fighters in the north who, angered by what they perceived as the government's marginalization of their region, moved south towards the capital of Bangui and ousted then President François Bozizé in March 2013. Widespread human rights abuses, mostly targeted at Christian civilians, were committed during the Séléka campaign and continued even after their leader, Michel Djotodia, took power as the country's new president. In response, a group of armed animist and Christian militias, known as 'anti-balaka' ('anti-machete'), were formed and by the end of the 2013 had staged a series of reprisal attacks against Muslim civilians in Bangui. Following Djotodia's resignation in January 2014, anti-balaka extended their attacks to other Muslim communities, resulting in numerous deaths and large-scale displacement. Though the Muslim population has borne the brunt of the violence since then, groups of ex-Séléka have also been responsible for numerous atrocities against Christian civilians. Territorially, the CAR is now roughly partitioned between areas under the control of the Christian/animist anti-balaka militia groups largely responsible for the displacement of the Muslim population and areas under the control of Muslim ex-Séléka.

Before the current conflict began, roughly 15 per cent of the national population were Muslim. Besides pastoral farmers and herders – including nomadic Muslim cattle-herding minorities such as Mbororo (also known also as Fulbe, Peuhl, Fula or Fulani) living mainly in the north-east, at roughly 4 per cent of the national population – many other Muslims belonged to a more urban-based merchant class. Both groups have seen their lives and livelihoods disrupted or destroyed by the conflict. In Bangui the Muslim population had diminished from over 100,000 to under 1,000, less than 1 per cent of the original population, while in the country as a whole around 80 per cent of the Muslim population had reportedly already left the country by mid 2014. By the end of 2015, an estimated 453,500 people had fled to neighbouring countries, the large majority Muslim, among them many nomadic pastoralists and their herds whose arrival among more sedentary, primarily Christian populations in neighbouring Cameroon and other countries of asylum has led to profound shifts in the character of some host communities. In addition, around 470,000 people were believed to be internally displaced within CAR by the end of the year. This included around 36,000 people, predominantly Muslim, trapped in enclaves across the country, surrounded by hostile militias.

Despite the continued deterioration in security during 2015, some positive efforts were made during the year to bring an end to the conflict. In May, local leaders from different regions, religions and ethnicities, including some from the diaspora and refugee populations, took part in the Bangui Forum on National Reconciliation and agreed a set of recommendations on governance, justice, stability and development, issued as the Republican Pact for Peace, National Reconciliation and Reconstruction. In June an innovative law laid the groundwork for a hybrid Special Criminal Court to address abuses committed during the conflict. Nevertheless, these measures failed to prevent an upsurge in violence later in the year, beginning with an attack around the Kilometre 5 (PK-5) Muslim enclave in Bangui in September and a series of other incidents in the capital that killed around 100 people and displaced another 50,000.

In November, Pope Francis visited the PK-5 district and other sites, and called for an end to sectarian violence, but conflict continued in various areas around the country. As a result, a constitutional referendum and elections initially slated for October 2015 were postponed until December. After some debate refugees were permitted to vote, though the registration process reportedly only reached around a quarter of those living in camps in neighbouring countries, leaving many of the largely Muslim refugee population unable to participate. The referendum, which included the imposition of a two-term limit for presidents, passed despite low voter turnout and other issues. Presidential elections were subsequently held on 30 December, although legislative elections the same day were deferred due to irregularities. Faustin-Archange Touadéra, prime minister under Séléka-ousted President François Bozizé, was declared winner of the February 2016 run-off election in a result endorsed by the constitutional court.

The CAR's indigenous forest-dwelling, hunter-gatherer Ba'Aka people, who make up less than 1 per cent of the national population, have historically faced discrimination and marginalization. With the onset of violence in late 2012 some members of this community were reportedly among those targeted for attack by combatants. The Dzanga-Sangha National Park, part of the World Heritage-listed Sangha Trinational forest located in the Ba'Aka people's traditional home region of south-western CAR, suffered incursions by armed groups in 2013. Even before the start of the current conflict, UNESCO called attention to the fact that the Ba'Aka people's lifestyle and culture were under threat: 'The scarcity of game resulting from deforestation, the rural exodus and the folklorization of their heritage for the tourist industry are the principal factors contributing to the gradual disappearance of many of their traditional customs, rituals and skills.' The polyphonic singing of the Ba'Aka, with its accompanying music and dance, has been inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of Humanity's Intangible Cultural Heritage.