As the U.N. Security Council prepares to review its mission in the Central African Republic, Britain urged a gradual, carefully sequenced transition shaped by security conditions and the need to protect civilians.
Jess Jambert-Gray, the United Kingdom’s deputy political coordinator, set out that position at a council meeting Tuesday. The council is expected to consider the mandate of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) in the coming weeks.
Jambert-Gray cited more than 416,000 people displaced within the country and about 2 million facing food insecurity. She said humanitarian access was essential as the country contends with those needs.
Britain also pointed to insecurity near the borders of the Central African Republic, Chad and Sudan, including the effects of the conflict in Sudan. Jambert-Gray urged further action in border areas to protect the stability gained within the Central African Republic.
The country’s security institutions need to take on a larger role to sustain stability, Jambert-Gray said. She called for them to be accountable and inclusive, and urged the government to continue reforms with support from international partners and MINUSCA.
Jambert-Gray also called for opportunities to help former combatants reintegrate so they do not return to armed groups. Britain welcomed progress in disarmament and demobilization, the development of national and local institutions after elections, and steps to implement the Political Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation.
MINUSCA and the Central African Republic’s government have worked to reshape the mission and establish a path for its eventual transition, Jambert-Gray said. Britain wants any change to proceed in stages that reflect conditions in the country. The Security Council is expected to take up MINUSCA’s mandate in the coming weeks.
