CAR Country Brief (Nov 2011)

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLICCountry Brief

November 2011

Context

Political History

Context | 3

1960 CAR independent from France on 13 August. David Dacko, Minister of the Interior, forces parliament to elect him as first president.

1964 Dacko, candidate of single party established in 1962, wins first elections.

1965 Colonel Jean-Bedel Bokassa, former captain of the French army, takes power in a bloody coup over a weak Dacko on 31 December with a mission to eradicate corruption and improve the economy.

1979 Apr – Support to Bokassa weakens after “Ngaragba massacre,” when 250 students demonstrating in Bangui were beaten and thrown into Ngaragba prison, where dozens died. 20 Sep – Bokassa overthrown; Dacko put back into power. French army forced to secure Bangui following demonstrations of discontent.

1981 Dacko wins elections over Ange-Felix Patassé, leader of the Movement for the Liberation of the CAR (MLPC), however, unconfident he hands power to the Military Committee for National Recovery (CRMN) headed by General André Kolingba, the Central African Armed Force’s (FACA) Chief of Staff.

1982 Two attempted coups blocked; one by Patassé and one by François Bozizéand Alphonse Mbaïkoua. Bozizé flees to Chad and Mbaïkoua to Markounda, north CAR.

Political History

Context | 4

1991 Multi-party system ratified in reformed constitution.

1993 Patassé defeats Kolingba in elections; ending military rule.

1997 After a series of mutinies between 1996 and 1997, France boosts military presence in Bangui to protect constitutional order. French troops later replaced by 750 peacekeeping troops from the Inter-African Commission to Monitor Implementation of the Bangui Accords (MISAB).

1998 1,350 soldiers with the UN Mission for the Central African Republic (MINURCA) replace MISAB with a mandate to ensure security in Bangui for three months.

1999 Patassé defeats multiple parties in first round of elections.

2000 1 Apr - UN withdraws peacekeeping force, MINURCA, and established UN Peacebuilding Office in the CAR (BONUCA). Heightened unrest over civil servants’ wages.

Political History

Context | 5

2001 May - Attempted coup; Kolingba first claims responsibility, but later thought to may have been Bozizé, then FACA Chief of Staff. Government supporters attack Kolingba supports, forcing 50,000 residents to flee Bangui. Patassé maintains his position in power with the support of Libyan soldiers sent by Colonel Qaddafi. Dec 2001 – 300 peacekeeping troops from the Community of Sahel Saharan States (CEN-SAD), formed by Qaddafi, deployed to Bangui to secure capital.

2002 Oct - Supporters of Bozizé raid Bangui; driven back by Libyan forces and combatants of the Movement for the Liberation of the Congo (MLC). Dec – 300 Force Multinationale en Centrafrique (FOMUC) soldiers replace CEN-SAD.

2003 Bozizé, with support from Chad, launches a successful coup in March and becomes Head of State and Minister of Defense. Wave of looting by the liberators in Bangui and even more in central and northern regions.

2005 Bozizé wins elections over Martin Ziguélé in second round.

Political History

Context | 6

2005 - 2008 Insecurity increases in the northern regions where civil administration fled due to lack of payment, leaving FACA as the only government representatives. The Presidential Guard and the FACA conduct attacks against the population and rebel groups, and increase in banditry profiting from a weak state. Many rebel groups formed or strengthened to protect their civilians, keep control of their resources and demand support from the State. More than 300,000 displaced within the CAR or fleeing to Cameroon and Chad.

Sep 2007 U.N. Mission in CAR and Chad (MINURCAT) established under Security Council resolution 1778 in order to contribute to the protection of civilians; promote human rights and the rule of law; and promote regional peace. In the CAR, presence limited to Vakaga, isolated prefecture in the north-east.

Feb 2008 First Lord’s Resistance Army attack on the southeastern regions of CAR, driving people from their villages to seek refugee in main towns.

June 2008 Libreville Comprehensive Peace Agreement reached between the Government and all but one rebel group. Agreement calls for the Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) process.

Political History

Context | 7

Jul 2008 Regional peace-keeping force MICOPAX, under the responsibility of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), replaces FOMUC starting its mandate in Jan 2009 with an objective to protect civilians, secure the territory, contribute to the national reconciliation process and facilitate political dialogue.

Jun – Aug 2009 Ugandan People’s Defense Force (UPDF) establish presence in the LRA-affected southeast.

Sep 2009 Front Populaire pour le Redressement (FPR), Chadian armed rebel group led by Baba Laddé, stage first attack in the CAR .

Nov 2010 MINURCAT ends its mandate, and leaves Vakaga.

23 Jan 2011 Bozizé wins presidential elections against Patassé, and his national party, Kwa na Kwa, takes the majority in the parliament in legislative elections.

12 Jun 2011 Government of CAR signs a ceasefire agreement with the Convention of Patriots for Justice and Peace (CPJP), the only major armed group not to have signed the June 2008 Libreville Comprehensive Peace Agreement.

25 Jun 2011 Launch of the Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) for ex-combatants with 5 groups to participate.

Sources: International Crisis Group, European Commission, UN DPKO, UN Security Council Reports

The People of CAR

Context | 8

• Population : 4,442,000 (70% living in the western parts of the country)

• Languages: French (official language), Sangho(lingua franca and national language), and more than 74 local languages

• Religion*: 35% indigenous beliefs, 35% Protestant, 25% Roman Catholic, 15% Islam

• Ethnic Groups: 33% Gbaya, 27% Banda, 13% Mandjia, 7.9%, 10% Sara, 7% Mboum, 4% M’Baka, 4% Yakoma, 2% other

*Animistic beliefs and practices strongly influence the Christian majoritySources: UNFPA (2010), CIA World Fact Book (2011)

Neighbors in state of conflict or instability

2. Lord’s Resistance Army Actively committing atrocities in southeast CAR, northern DRC and South Sudan.

14

3

2

5

6

7

1. ChadInsecurity due to armed rebel groups, inter-ethnic tensions over access to land and natural resources and banditry.:

4. Darfur, SudanOngoing conflict between rebel factions and the Government of Sudan.

3. Equateur, DRCInter-ethnic clashes led to massive displacement in 2009 and 2010. The situation has since calmed with an on-going reconciliation process.

5. South SudanNewly independent, inter-clan conflict and tensions with the north still remain.

6. Ituri, DRCWhile the land disputes between agriculturalists and pastoralists have calmed, armed groups remain active.

7. The Kivus, DRCConflict fueled by vast natural resources in the region, the Army is fighting mainly Rwandan Hutu rebels (FDLR) and a collection of other insurgents.

Economy and Development

1

HDI

1

GDP

1

POV

Central African Republic

Country in Sub-Saharan Africa

Other country

Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2011

Living on less than US$1.25 per day rank

Human Development Index rank

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita rank

1

1

1

Context | 10

out of 173 countries



179

168

103

Millennium Development Goals – Where are we?

Context | 11

Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger

Achieve universal primary education

Improve Maternal Health

Progress by goal with 3.5 years to go until 2015

Source: National MDG Report 2010

Achieved

Very likely to be achieved, on track

Possible to achieve if some changes are made

Off track

Insufficient information

Promote gender equality and empower women

Reduce child mortality

Combat HIV/AID, malaria and other diseases

Ensure environmental sustainability

Develop a global partnership for development

Status in accordance with national government reporting.

Growth

Context | 12

CAR’s HDI grew by 10% between 2005 and 2011, above the average for Sub-Saharan Africa which grew by 7.4%Human Development Index (HDI) Growth since 2005 (%)

2005 2011

Sub-Saharan Africa average

Country in Sub-Saharan Africa

Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2011

20%

-5

0

5

10

15Central African Republic

Governance

Context | 13Sources: Mo Ibrahim Foundation (2008/09)

Mauritius (score of 83) Seychelles (79) Botswana (76) Cape Verde (75) South Africa (71) Namibia (67) Ghana (65) Tunisia (62) Egypt (60) Lesotho (60) Sao Tomé and Príncipe (58) Benin (57) Morocco (57) Senegal (56) Algeria (55) Tanzania (55) Zambia (55) Gambia (53) Mali (53) Mozambique (52) Burkina Faso (52) Malawi (52) Libya (51) Uganda (51) Swaziland (51) Kenya (51) Gabon (50) Madagascar (49) Comoros (49) Djibouti (49) Rwanda (47) Sierra Leone (46) Burundi (45) Cameroon (44) Ethiopia (44) Mauritania (43) Nigeria (43) Liberia (43) Togo (43) Niger (42) Congo (42) Angola (39) Guinea-Bissau (39) Côte d’Ivoire (37) Guinea (36) Equatorial Guinea (35) Sudan (33) Central African Republic (33) Zimbabwe (33) Eritrea (32) Democratic Republic of the Congo (31) Chad (29) Somalia (8)

The Ibrahim Index of African Governance, measuring the delivery of public good and services to citizens by government and non-state actors, ranked CAR 48 out of 53 (53 being low value) in 2010.

Infrastructure

Context | 14

A country slightly larger than France with less than 700km of paved roads. UNHAS, ICRC and BINUCA flights are the only domestic flight available to most humanitariansand are often disrupted during the rainy season.

High Resource Potential

Timber and diamonds are the CAR’s principal exports, accounting for over US$100 M in 2009, 7% of the GDP.

Timber and diamonds are the CAR’s principal exports, accounting for over US$100 M in 2009, 7% of the GDP.

Sources: Banque des Etats de l’Afrique centrale (2009), DPDDA (2011), PARFAF (2008), HDPT (2010)

Diamond deposits

Uranium depositsGold depositsWood production

Humanitarian Situation

Pockets of fragility, instability and/or conflict

South-EastLord’s Resistance Army actively committing atrocities forcing people off their land and confining them to larger villages.

North-eastEthnic tensions and inter-tribal attacks. Increase in insecurity and displacement during the dry season with transhumance movements. 2011 has seen an increase in criminality in this region, what some are calling “Darfourization.”

North-centralChronically problematic due to nomadic group movement, banditry and presence of national and international armed groups.

North-westA recovering region with spontaneous returns of IDPs and refugees. The DDR process could create more durable conditions for a systematic return, however risks leaving a security vacuum.

Displacement

Humanitarian Access Constraints

Humanitarian Situation | 19

1 Attacks by national and foreign rebel groups – Close to 10 rebel groups and national and international forces operate in CAR. Armed attacks and conflicts in the north, east and south-east make it often too dangerous for humanitarian access and military authority pose access restrictions.

2 Banditry and highway robbers – Banditry is a chronic problem throughout the entire of the CAR, especially along main roads where civilians are often the targets of armed ambushes. Humanitarian organisations are victim to armed robbery, looting and kidnapping.

3 Difficult terrain and poor infrastructure – Slightly larger than France, CAR has less than 700km of paved roads. During the May-November rainy season, there is no road access to the east and north-east. UNHAS, ICRC and BINUCA flights are the only domestics flights available to most humanitarians and are often disrupted during the rainy season.

Humanitarian Needs

Health

Humanitarian Needs | 21

• Less than 30% of population have access to health services and 78% live more than 10km from the nearest health center

• 1 physician for more than 55,500 people and 1 health worker for 7,000 people

• Life expectancy fell from 52 to 48 between 1990 and 2007 being at 48 for women and 48 for men

• 47% of births not assisted

• Maternal mortality rate at 850 per 100,000 as compared to 620 for regional average

• Under-5 mortality rate at 179 per 1,000 as compared to 127 for regional average

Years of life lost by causes

Causes of death in children under-5

Quick facts

Sources: Preliminary MICS IV (2010), World Bank, WHO Health Profile (Apr 2011)

Communicable diseases

Non-communicable diseases

78%

14%

7% Injuries

Malaria28%

17%

Pneumonia15%

Other

14%

Diarrhea

1% Injuries2% Congenital abnormalities4% Neonatal sepsis7% Birth asphyxia8% Prematurity

HIV/AIDS


• 5.9% of population are HIV-positive, with over 10% infected in some prefectures

• Women significantly more affected, with 6.3% affected as compared to 5.4% of men

• Prevalence 2.94 times higher in urban areas than rural

• Prevalence of contraceptives only 19% as compared to 24% regional average

Quick facts HIV/AIDS prevalence by prefecture for women and men aged 15-49 (%)

Source: Preliminary MICS IV (2010)

14.3

9.2

42

4.4

3.92.10.8

3.37.9

2.46.3

5.3

9.1

6

no data

10.7% inBangui

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene


• 67% of the population (92% in urban and 51% in rural areas) using improved drinking water source

• Only 34% of population (43% in urban and 14% in rural areas) using improved sanitation facilities

• 25% of 4,000 water points in the country currently not functioning, and awareness levels as well as technical expertise to maintain water points is insufficient.

• Open-air defecation common

• No waste management system

Quick facts Access to improved water source

Access to improved sanitation

Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (2010)

CAR

Sub-Saharan Africa

67%

60%

CAR

Sub-Saharan Africa

34%

31%

Food Security and Nutrition

Humanitarian Needs | 24Source: Preliminary MICS IV (2010), WASH Cluster (2011)

• Two in five children under the age of five chronically malnourished, and one in ten are underweight.

• High agricultural potential with 15 million ha arable land, one of the highest rainfalls per person in the world and 74% of the population engaged in agriculture. Low agricultural output with only 4% of arable land cultivated each year.

• 94% of farming is subsistence and the average cultivated land per farmer is less than 0.5 hectares

Quick facts

Arable landCultivatedland

Education

Humanitarian Needs | 25Source: Min. of Education (2009), UNESCO (2009)

Quick facts Pupils per teacher in Sub-Saharan Africa (top 20)

10020 pupils

806040


Rwanda

Congo

Mozambique

Chad

Ethiopia

Tanzania

Burundi

Mali

Uganda

Burkina Faso

Madagascar

Kenya

Cameroon

Benin

Guinea

Côte d’Ivoire

Togo

Mauritania

Niger

95 pupils for every teacher

68

64

61

61

58

54

51

50

4949

48

47

46

45

44

42

42

39

39

• Only 1.5% of GDP spent on education, almost 5% below African average

• Primary net enrolment rate 63% in 2009

• Pupil to teacher ratio 95:1 in primary education

• Almost 60% of teacher are parents

• Only 36% of pupils completed basic primary education in 2009

• Adult literacy rate for 69.8% men and 47.2% for women

Protection


Source: UN OCHA (2011), IDMC/Watchlist (May 2011)

Quick facts

• An estimated 66,545 Central Africans are precariously returning, and an estimated 105,206 remain displaced within the CAR. More than 22,180 were newly displaced in 2011 in the north and the east due to ongoing conflicts. 164,905 Central Africans are refugees in neighboring countries.

• Doubts remains over the impartiality and independence of judicial system which is weak and often absent.

• Poor legal documentation of citizens.

• Common issues include domestic violence, forced and early marriage and accusations related to witchcraft resolving in violent confrontations. Traditions often overplay human rights violations, allowing them to be left unpunished

Study by the IDMC and Watchlist in Geneva in May 2011 found evidence that“at least four of the six grave violations monitored under UN Security Council Resolution 1612 (2005) are still being committed against children in CAR: the abduction of children, recruitment or use of child soldiers, attacks against schools, and the denial of humanitarian access to children.”

Study by the IDMC and Watchlist in Geneva in May 2011 found evidence that“at least four of the six grave violations monitored under UN Security Council Resolution 1612 (2005) are still being committed against children in CAR: the abduction of children, recruitment or use of child soldiers, attacks against schools, and the denial of humanitarian access to children.”

Humanitarian Response

Field Presence

Humanitarian Strategy

Humanitarian Response | 29

1 Provide coordinated and vital assistance in response to the needs of people affected by violence or other humanitarian crisis based on needs assessments and a human rights-based approach while maintaining an emergency capacity response for the rest of the country.

2 Protect people affected by conflict, in particular IDPs, refugees, returnees and other people of concern whose rights have been violated and need protection and advocacy support. This includes chiefly the development of a national legal framework for protection, the promotion of rule of law and human rights and the reinforcement of key institutions and civil society.

3 Support IDPs, returnees, host communities and others living in post-emergency settings in restarting their lives by ensuring minimum infrastructures and basic social services and an increase in self-reliance.

Humanitarian Projects


Number of proposed projects and priorities per sector (as of 17 Nov 2011)

Health

Food Security


Early Recovery

Education

Protection

Nutrition

Coordination and Support Services

Not Specified

Multi-Sector Assistance to Refugees

5 projects 15 25 30

Immediate

High

Medium

Not Specified

Priority

Source: OCHA FTS2010

Humanitarian Requirements


Food Security

Health

Multi-Sector Assistance to Refugees

Protection


Nutrition

Early Recovery

Coordination and Support Services

Education

Funding not yet allocated

Source: OCHA FTS

Requirements and funding per sector (as of 17 Nov 2011)

US$10M 20M 30M0

Funding*

Requirements

*Funding include contributions, commitments and carry-over.

33.5 required

27.4

23.6

16.4

11.2

8.2

7.9

7.8

5.6

US$141 M requiredin 2011

43%funded

Challenges

Humanitarian Projects Chronically Underfunded

Challenges | 33

Requirements and Funding 2007 - 2011

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Requirements

Funding at year-end

Funding* at mid-year

91M required

118

100

149139

US$20M

100M

*Funding include contributions, commitments and carry-over.

Source: OCHA FTS (June 2011)

74% funded

90%

73%44%

Challenges in the Transition to Early Recovery

Challenges | 34

1 Administrative branch fragile and limited.

2 Unpredictable security situation in post-conflict leave a handicap in implementation of early recovery activities.

3 Poor baseline data and challenge in collecting data make it difficult prioritize socio-economic projects and to formulate indicators for monitoring and evaluation of the progress.

4 Low level and low capacity of local communities to self-manage and maintain socio-economic structures and infrastructures developed by humanitarian actors.

5 Lack of technical service support to the local communities in the design, development and implementation of technical projects for the rehabilitation of communities.

6 Sustainability of income-generating activities and factors blocking private entrepreneurship.

Development Assistance Rate Behind Others in the Region

Challenges | 35

Development aid to Sub-Saharan Africa increasing on average by 181% since 1985, and only 37% to CAR

Source: OECD (Aug 2011), Development Assistance Disbursements (constant USD), All donors

1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2009

ODA Growth since 1985 (%)

0

100

700%

600

500

400

300

200

-100


Sub-Saharan Africa

Security Sector Reform (SSR) slow to progress

Challenges | 36

Often misunderstood or thought to solely include the reform of law-enforcement in the CAR, the ultimate objective of the SSR is make the State’s ability to perform its duties most effectively to guarantee legal security thus creating a climate conducive to the resumption of economic activities leading to the economic autonomy of the CAR.

National approach adopted at the SSR Seminar in April 2008 outlining 4 fundamental assumptions:

1 Holistic and comprehensive approach to SSR meaning each component (civil or military) must be coordinated2 The SSR is based on actual national ownership, and the national context is the starting point3 The commitment of the entire government is essential to effective support to political action and economic development4 The SSR is inseparable from the democratic control of the sector, highlighting the crucial role of Parliament, civil society, the media, etc.

Joint assessment of national and international experts in October 2009 found that the majority of short term tasks were carried out satisfactorily, however no progress since.Window of opportunity with the creation of a SSR unit within BINUCA and a push to encourage parties involved to re-launch the SSR.

Perspectives for 2011 and 2012 – Peace Consolidation

Challenges | 37

Opportunities Threats

• Disarmament of 5 political-military groups underway in the field, and plan for reintegration of 8,000 former combatants

• Returns to the north-west driven by confidence in an post-crisis population

• Convention of Patriots for Justice and Peace (CPJP), the only armed group not to have signed the June 2008 Libreville Comprehensive Peace Agreement, signed cease-fire with the Government of CAR in June 2011 opening the doors for their integration into the DDR process

• SSR heavily reliant on strong national approach in the State and a revision of the national SSR approach of which both are lacking

• Increased criminality partnered with a weak military leave population vulnerable, especially along the international borders

• Violent ethnic radicalization, especially in the northern and eastern regions and tensions with transhumance groups

• Lord’s Resistance Army increasingly active in the south-east

Security, collaboration and good governance allows opens up doors for growth and development

Slip back into full-scale violence

Perspectives for 2011 and 2012 – Economic Growth

Challenges | 38

• Second Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper 2011-2015 underway, promoting a common strategy for the government and development community

• Most of the population in the north-western part of the country who were displaced by the conflict between 2002 and 2006 have returned, are well established and transitioning or ready to transition to recovery and take back control of the agricultural sector

• Increase in timber and diamond exports help stimulate the GDP

• Little room for development and growth within a context of poor governance

• Poor infrastructure and violence inhibits access to development actors

• Lack of the State in resource rich regions limit formal business activity

• Economic growth heavily dependent on peace consolidation

• Weak interest and funding to early recovery and development projects

Opportunities Threats

Break circle of poverty and move into early recovery and development

Remain in circle of poverty and dependence on foreign aid and humanitarian interventions

For more information, please visit http://hdptcar.net and http://www.unocha.org

November 2011

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