Security Council Resolution 2217 (2015) [on Extension of the Mandate of the Un Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (Minusca) Until 30 Apr. 2016]

S/RES/2217 (2015)View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the Security Council, under agenda item 227 The situation in the Central African Republic, published in 2015.

Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

3 reports · 2015–2016

Year	Symbol	Title	Mandate resolution
2016	S/2016/305	Report of the Secretary-General on the situation in the Central African Republic	S/RES/2217 (2015)
2015	S/2015/918	Report of the Secretary-General on the situation in the Central African Republic	S/RES/2217 (2015)
2015	S/2015/576	Report of the Secretary-General on the situation in the Central African Republic	S/RES/2217 (2015)

What subjects does this mandate have?

13 subjects

Central African Republic Disarmament Human Rights in Armed Conflicts Humanitarian Assistance Internal Security Military Demobilization Natural Resources Peacekeeping Operations Political Conditions Rule of Law Security Sector Reform Social Integration Staff Security

What’s in this document?

98 operative paragraphs

Political process

Expresses its support to the Transitional Authorities under the leadership of Catherine Samba-Panza as Transitional Head of State, welcomes their commitment to complete the transition process and reiterates its call upon them to further accelerate its completion;

Reiterates its support for the Libreville Agreements of 11 January 2013, the N’Djamena Declaration of 18 April 2013, the Constitutional Charter for the Transition of 18 July 2013 as well as the Cessation of Hostilities agreement signed in Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo, on 23 July 2014;

Welcomes the important role of the region through the active leadership of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), in particular the mediation by the Republic of the Congo, and encourages ECCAS, through its Chairperson and its Mediator to continue to support the political transition process in the CAR outlined in the above-mentioned Declaration and agreements;

Commends the initial measures taken by the AU and ECCAS to restore peace and stability in the CAR;

Demands that all militias and non-state armed groups lay down their arms, cease all forms of violence and destabilizing activities immediately and release children from their ranks;

Commends the Transitional Authorities and CAR stakeholders for the work done in revitalizing the political and reconciliation process in order to lay the ground for a sustainable end to the conflict, welcomes recent efforts by the Transitional Authorities to gather views of local citizens in advance of the Bangui Forum on National Reconciliation by holding inclusive grassroots level consultations, underlines the importance of the Forum to promote peace and stability, in particular through the signing of an agreement on the disarmament of armed groups, and further recalls the crucial role of civil society in the peace and reconciliation process;

Encourages the submission by Member States of listing requests to the Committee established by paragraph 57 of resolution 2127 (2013), including detailed evidentiary support for each request, of individuals and entities engaging in or providing support for acts that undermine the peace, stability or security of the CAR, that impede the transition process or that fuel violence;

Urges the Transitional Authorities, as well as the National Elections Authority (NEA), in accordance with the transitional national charter, to accelerate the preparations in order to hold as a matter of urgency and as soon as possible the free, fair, transparent and inclusive presidential and legislative elections currently scheduled to take place by August 2015, ensuring the full, effective and equal participation of women, IDPs and CAR refugees, the return of whom should be an important objective;

Calls on all actors in the CAR to respect the Transitional Constitutional Charter, particularly with respect to the preparation and holding of elections, including regarding candidate ineligibility;

Urges the CAR transitional authorities, with the support of MINUSCA and EUMAM-RCA, to adopt a strategy for a comprehensive reform of the CAR Armed Forces (FACA) and internal security forces (police and gendarmerie) in order to put in place professional, ethnically representative and regionally balanced national defence and internal security forces, including through the adoption of appropriate human rights vetting procedures of all defence and security personnel as well as measures to absorb elements of armed groups meeting, rigorous selection and vetting criteria, and requests the Secretary-General to report to the Council on progress taken in this regard;

Calls on the Central African authorities to take concrete steps, without delay and as a matter of priority, to strengthen justice institutions and to fight impunity in order to contribute to stabilization and reconciliation, and in this regard to swiftly implement the law establishing the Special Criminal Court;

Also calls on the Transitional Authorities to continue their efforts to redeploy State administration in the provinces, including through the effective restoration of the administration of the judiciary and the criminal justice system throughout the country, with the support of the international community;

Calls on Member States, international and regional organizations to urgently provide support to the Transitional Authorities for the conduct of the transition and subsequent reforms, including contributions for the payment of salaries and other needs for the restoration of the State authority over the whole territory, as well as for the holding of elections through the UN trust fund, for the upcoming DDR/R and SSR programmes and for the restoration of the judiciary and the criminal justice system including the Special Criminal Court;

Encourages the Transitional Authorities, with the support of the international community, in particular with IFIs leading international efforts, to keep consolidating, based on critical peace and State building goals, public financial management and accountability, including revenue collection, expenditure controls, public procurement and concession practices building on relevant international experiences and in a manner that fosters national ownership and respects the sovereignty of the CAR;

Human rights

Reiterates the urgent and imperative need to hold accountable all perpetrators of violations of international humanitarian law and human rights violations and abuses, irrespective of their status or political affiliation, and reiterates that some of those acts may amount to crimes under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), to which the CAR is a State party;

Notes the decision made by the Prosecutor of the ICC on 24 September 2014 to open, following the request of the national authorities, an investigation into alleged crimes committed since 2012, and welcomes the ongoing cooperation of the Transitional Authorities in this regard;

Calls upon all parties to armed conflict in the CAR, including former Séléka elements and anti-Balaka elements, to issue clear orders prohibiting all violations and abuses committed against children, in violation of applicable international law, including those involving their recruitment and use, rape and sexual violence, killing and maiming, abductions and attacks on schools and hospitals and further calls upon the Transitional Authorities to investigate swiftly alleged violations and abuses in order to hold perpetrators accountable and to ensure that those responsible for such violations and abuses are excluded from the security sector;

Reiterates its demands that all parties protect and consider as victims those children who have been released or otherwise separated from armed forces and armed groups, and emphasizes the need to pay particular attention to the protection, release and reintegration of all children associated with armed forces and armed groups;

Calls upon all parties to armed conflict in the CAR, including former Séléka and anti-Balaka elements, to issue clear orders against sexual and gender based violence, and further calls upon the Transitional Authorities to investigate swiftly alleged abuses in order to hold perpetrators accountable, in line with its resolutions 1960 (2010) and 2106 (2013), to ensure that those responsible for such crimes are excluded from the security sector and prosecuted, and to facilitate immediate access for victims of sexual violence to available services;

Peacekeeping Operation

Commends the transition of authority from MISCA to MINUSCA on 15 September 2014 and welcomes the re-hatting of former MISCA troops and police under MINUSCA;

Commends the work of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) Babacar Gaye and takes note of the increased deployment of MINUSCA’s military, police and civilian components; the Mission’s initial work in implementing its mandate; and the establishment of the Bangui Task Force to ensure the stabilization of the capital;

Decides to extend the mandate of MINUSCA until 30 April 2016;

Decides that MINUSCA has an authorized troop ceiling of 10,750 military personnel, including 480 Military Observers and Military Staff Officers and 2,080 police personnel, including 400 Individual Police Officers and 40 corrections officers, recalls its intention to keep this number under continuous review in particular for the additional troops authorized by resolution 2212 (2015), calls upon Member States to provide troops and police with adequate capabilities and equipment in order to enhance the capacity of MINUSCA to operate and discharge its responsibilities effectively and requests the Secretary-General to accelerate the recruitment of qualified staff, who have the competencies, education, work experience and language skills appropriate to the tasks defined under applicable competency areas in paragraphs 32 to 34 below, bearing in mind the need to convey information and provide technical assistance in the most accessible manner to the desired audience;

Requests the Secretary-General to take all possible steps, including through the full use of existing authorities and at his discretion, to accelerate the deployments of MINUSCA’s civilian, police and military capabilities in the CAR, in order to best respond to the Council’s expectations and the needs of the CAR population and requests the Secretary-General to take the necessary steps to have MINUSCA reach its full operational capacity and ability to discharge its mandate over the entire territory of the CAR as soon as technically and logistically possible, with no further delay, including to regions in eastern CAR;

Urges, to this end, the former MISCA troop and police contributing countries that have been re-hatted under MINUSCA to expedite the procurement and deployment of remaining additional contingent-owned equipment, in order to comply with United Nations standards for troops and police;

Further urges the Secretariat to continue to explore, on the basis of need, the use of specialized police teams together with specialized required equipment, for police and gendarmerie capacity building and development and operational support;

Requests that the Secretary-General and his Special Representative take the necessary steps to reinforce the capacity of the police component of MINUSCA and in particular the Bangui task force, within the authorized troop ceiling, including through the strengthening of the chain of command, the acceleration of the deployment across the whole territory and the recruitment and deployment of personnel trained for stabilization tasks in challenging urban environments;

Stresses the importance of expediting the deployment of the civilian component of MINUSCA in order to support the actions of the police and military components based on the needs of the mission;

Urges MINUSCA and all relevant United Nations bodies, to ensure unhindered access for the Panel of Experts, in particular to persons, documents and sites within their control in order for the Panel to execute its mandate;

Decides that MINUSCA’s mandate should be implemented based on a prioritization of tasks established in paragraphs 32 to 34 of this resolution, and, when relevant, in a phased manner, and further requests the Secretary-General to reflect this prioritization in the deployment and in the allocation of resources to the mission;

Authorizes MINUSCA to take all necessary means to carry out its mandate within its capabilities and areas of deployment;

Decides that the mandate of MINUSCA shall include the following immediate priority tasks:

Protection of civilians

To protect, without prejudice to the primary responsibility of the CAR authorities, the civilian population from threat of physical violence, within its capabilities and areas of deployment, including through active patrolling, and to mitigate risks to civilians posed by its military operations;

To provide specific protection for women and children affected by armed conflict, including through the deployment of Child Protection Advisers, Women Protection Advisers and Gender Advisers;

iii

To identify and record threats and attacks against the civilian population, including through regular interaction with the civilian population and working closely with humanitarian and human rights organizations;

To fully implement and deliver, in close consultation with humanitarian and human rights organizations and other relevant partners, the mission-wide protection strategy;

Support for the implementation of the transition process, the extension of State authority and the preservation of territorial integrity

To take a leading role in international efforts to assist the Transitional Authorities working with ECCAS, the AU, the United Nations regional office for Central Africa (UNOCA), relevant stakeholders and the international community to devise, facilitate, coordinate and provide technical assistance to the successful and timely completion of the political transition;

To provide good offices and political support for the efforts to address root causes of the conflict and establish lasting peace and security in the CAR;

iii

To provide appropriate support, in coordination with the Transitional Authorities, and based on the risks on the ground, for the provision of security for key national stakeholders, including members of the Transitional Government;

To assist the Transitional Authorities and, subsequently, the elected authorities, in mediation and reconciliation processes at both the national and local levels, working with relevant regional and local bodies and religious leaders, including through inclusive national dialogue, transitional justice and conflict-resolution mechanisms, while ensuring the full and effective participation of women;

To devise, coordinate and provide technical, logistical and security assistance to the electoral process and make all necessary preparations, in support of the Transitional Authorities and working on an urgent basis with the NEA, for the holding, in accordance with the transitional national charter, as a matter of urgency and as soon as possible, of the free, fair, transparent and inclusive presidential and legislative elections currently scheduled to take place by August 2015, in order to complete the political transition in a timely manner, including the full and effective participation of women at all levels and at an early stage, in all phases of the electoral process, and the participation of CAR IDPs and refugees;

To devise, coordinate and provide technical, logistical and security assistance to the organization and the holding of the constitutional referendum, as appropriate;

vii

To promote and support the rapid extension of State authority over the entire territory of the CAR, including by supporting the redeployment of the administration;

viii

To actively seize, confiscate and destroy, as appropriate, the weapons and ammunitions of armed elements, including all militias and non-state armed groups, who refuse or fail to lay down their arms;

Facilitate the immediate, full, safe and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance

To enhance civil-military coordination within MINUSCA and improve coordination with humanitarian actors, to facilitate the creation of a secure environment for the immediate, full, safe and unhindered, civilian-led delivery of humanitarian assistance, in accordance with United Nations guiding humanitarian principles and relevant provisions of international law, and for the voluntary safe, dignified and sustainable return or local integration or resettlement of internally displaced persons or refugees in close coordination with humanitarian actors;

Protection of the United Nations

To protect the United Nations personnel, installations, equipment and goods and ensure the security and freedom of movement of United Nations and associated personnel;

Promotion and protection of human rights

To monitor, help investigate and report publicly and to the Security Council on violations of international humanitarian law and on violations and abuses of human rights committed throughout the CAR, in particular by different armed groups, including the former Seleka and the anti-Balaka, as well as in connection with the Bangui Forum and the electoral process, and to contribute to efforts to identify and prosecute perpetrators, and to prevent such violations and abuses, including through the deployment of human rights observers;

To monitor, help investigate and report on violations and abuses committed against children, women as well as persons with disabilities, including rape and other forms of sexual violence in armed conflict, and to contribute to efforts to identify and prosecute perpetrators, and to prevent such violations and abuses;

iii

To support the implementation of relevant recommendations of the International Commission of Inquiry;

To assist the CAR authorities in the effort to protect and promote human rights, including through the establishment of a national human rights commission and to strengthen the capacity of civil society organizations;

Urgent temporary measures (UTMs)

To continue to adopt, within the limits of its capacities and areas of deployment, at the formal request of the Transitional Authorities and in areas where national security forces or judicial authorities are not present or operational, urgent temporary measures on an exceptional basis and without creating a precedent and without prejudice to the agreed principles of peacekeeping operations, which are limited in scope, time bound and consistent with the objectives set out in paragraphs 32 (a) to 32 (e) above and 33 (a) below, to arrest and detain in order to maintain basic law and order and fight impunity;

Requests the Secretary-General to continue to report to the Security Council any measures that may be adopted on this basis;

Special Criminal Court

To assist the Transitional Authorities and subsequent elected authorities and facilitate other bilateral and multilateral support to the Transitional Authorities and subsequent elected authorities in the establishment of the national Special Criminal Court (SCC) consistent with CAR laws and jurisdiction and in line with the CAR’s international humanitarian law and international human rights law obligations with the aim of supporting the extension of State authority;

To provide technical assistance and capacity building for the CAR authorities, in order to facilitate the functioning of the SCC, in particular in the areas of investigations, arrests, detention, criminal and forensic analysis, evidence collection and storage, recruitment and selection of personnel, and the establishment of a legal aid system, as appropriate, as well as, within existing resources, to provide security for magistrates, and take measures to enhance the security of victims and witnesses as conditions allow, in line with the CAR’s international human rights obligations, including with respect to fair trials, and due process;

Disarmament, Demobilization, Reintegration (DDR) and Repatriation (DDRR)

To support the Transitional Authorities and subsequent elected authorities in developing and implementing a revised strategy for the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) and, in case of foreign elements, Repatriation (DDRR), of former combatants and armed elements to reflect new realities on the ground, while paying specific attention to the needs of children associated with armed forces and groups;

To support the Transitional Authorities and subsequent elected authorities in implementing the revised strategy for reintegration of former combatants in line with the wider SSR;

iii

To support the Transitional Authorities and subsequent elected authorities in developing and implementing community violence reduction programmes;

To regroup and canton combatants in accordance with Article 4 of the Brazzaville Agreement and in cooperation with the Transitional Authorities and destroy, as appropriate, the weapons and ammunitions of disarmed combatants in keeping with its effort to seize and collect arms and related materiel the supply, sale or transfer of which violate the measures imposed by paragraph 1 of resolution 2196 (2015);

Further authorises MINUSCA to use its capacities to assist the CAR authorities for, and, where relevant, implement, the following essential tasks:

Support for national and international justice and the rule of law

To help build the capacities, including through technical assistance, of the national judicial system and of the national human rights institutions and assist with national reconciliation efforts, coordinating with the Independent Expert on human rights as appropriate;

To provide support and to coordinate international assistance to the policing, justice and correctional institutions to reinstate the criminal justice system, within the framework of the United Nations global focal point on rule of law, including through assistance in the maintenance of public safety and basic law and order, in a manner that emphasizes civilian oversight, impartiality and the protection of human rights;

iii

to support the restoration and maintenance of public safety and the rule of law including through the presence and assistance of United Nations police authorized in paragraph 23 above, including through arresting and handing over to the CAR authorities those responsible for serious human rights violations and abuses and serious violations of international humanitarian law in the country so that they can be brought to justice, and through cooperation with States of the region as well as the ICC in cases of crimes falling within its jurisdiction;

Security Sector Reform

To support the Transitional Authorities and subsequent elected authorities in devising and implementing the security sector reform and vetting processes, including through the provision of strategic policy advice, in close coordination with the EUMAM-RCA;

To closely coordinate the provision of technical assistance and training between the international partners in the CAR in order to ensure a clear distribution of tasks in the field of SSR, for the benefit of both the FACA and the CAR internal security forces (police and gendarmerie);

Illicit exploitation and trafficking of natural resources

To support the CAR authorities to develop a nationally-owned strategy to tackle the illicit exploitation and trafficking networks of natural resources which continue to fund and supply armed groups in the CAR taking into account, where appropriate, the reports of the Panel of Experts established pursuant to resolution 2127 (2013) and the decisions of the Kimberley process (KP), with the aim of extending the State authority over the entire territory and its resources;

Further authorizes MINUSCA to carry out within its existing resources the following additional tasks:

To coordinate international assistance as appropriate;

To assist the Committee established pursuant to paragraph 57 of resolution 2127 (2013) and the Panel of Experts established by the same resolution, including by passing information relevant to the implementation of the mandate of the Committee and Panel of Experts;

To monitor the implementation of the measures renewed and modified by paragraph 1 of resolution 2196 (2015), in cooperation with the Panel of Experts established pursuant to resolution 2127 (2013), including by inspecting, as it deems necessary and when appropriate without notice, all arms and related materiel regardless of location, and advise the Transitional Authorities on efforts to keep armed groups from exploiting natural resources;

To seize and collect arms and any related materiel the transfer of which to the CAR violates the measures imposed by paragraph 54 of resolution 2127 (2013) and to record and dispose of such arms and related materiel as appropriate;

To provide transport for relevant State authorities in carrying out inspections and monitoring visits in key mining areas and sites as appropriate and on a case by case basis and when the situation allows, as a means to promote and support the rapid extension of the State authority over the entire territory;

Requests the Secretary-General to deploy and allocate personnel and expertise within MINUSCA to reflect the priorities identified by paragraph 32 to paragraph 34 of this resolution, and to continuously adjust this deployment according to the progresses made in the implementation of this mandate;

Requests MINUSCA to enhance its operational coordination with the African Union Regional Task Force on the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and requests MINUSCA to share relevant information with the Regional Task Force and with non-governmental organizations involved in tackling the threat of the LRA;

Calls upon the Transitional Authorities and international partners and relevant United Nations entities, in coordination with MINUSCA and UNMAS, to address the illicit transfer, destabilizing accumulation, and misuse of small arms and light weapons in the CAR, and to ensure the safe and effective management, storage and security of stockpiles of small arms and light weapons, and the collection and/or destruction of surplus, seized, unmarked, or illicitly held weapons and ammunition, and further stresses the importance of incorporating such elements into SSR and DDR/R programmes;

Urges the CAR, its neighbouring States and other member States of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) to cooperate at the regional level to investigate and combat regional criminal networks and armed groups involved in the illegal exploitation and smuggling of natural resources including gold, diamonds and wildlife poaching and trafficking;

Requests MINUSCA to take fully into account child protection as a cross-cutting issue throughout its mandate and to assist the Transitional Authorities in ensuring that the protection of children’s rights is taken into account, inter alia, in DDR and DDR/R processes and in SSR in order to end and prevent violations and abuses against children;

Requests MINUSCA to take fully into account gender considerations as a cross-cutting issue throughout its mandate and to assist the Government of the CAR in ensuring the full and effective participation, involvement and representation of women in all spheres and at all levels, including in stabilization activities, security sector reform and DDR and DDR/R processes, as well as in the national political dialogue and electoral processes, through, inter alia, the provision of gender advisers, and further requests enhanced reporting by MINUSCA to the Council on this issue;

Requests MINUSCA, within its existing resources and mandate, to assist the political efforts of the AU, ECCAS and UNOCA to support the transition process;

Reiterates that the measures imposed by paragraph 1 of resolution 2196 (2015) do not apply to MINUSCA, the AU Regional Task Force (AU-RTF), the European Union Missions and French forces operating in the CAR to provide organizational advice and non-operational training to the CAR Government Forces and as relevant to the implementation of their mandates and requests these forces to report on measures taken in this regard as part of their regular reports to the Council;

Requests the Secretary-General to take the necessary measures to ensure full compliance of MINUSCA with the United Nations zero tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuses and to keep the Council informed if cases of misconduct occur, and notes the relevance of the guidance on contacts with persons who are the subject of arrest warrants or summonses issued by the ICC;

Requests MINUSCA to ensure that any support provided to non-United Nations security forces is provided in strict compliance with the Human Rights Due Diligence Policy on United Nations support to non-United Nations security forces (HRDDP), and requests the Secretary-General to include information on any such support in his reports to the Council;

Emphasizes the need for MINUSCA, EUMAM-RCA and the French forces operating in the CAR, while carrying out their mandate, to act in full respect of the sovereignty, territorial integrity and unity of CAR and in full compliance with applicable international humanitarian law, human rights law and refugee law and recalls the importance of training in this regard;

MINUSCA Freedom of movement

Urges all parties in the CAR to cooperate fully with the deployment and activities of MINUSCA, in particular by ensuring its safety, security and freedom of movement with unhindered and immediate access throughout the territory of the CAR to enable MINUSCA to carry out fully its mandate in a complex environment;

Calls upon Member States, especially those in the region, to ensure the free, unhindered and expeditious movement to and from the CAR of all personnel, as well as equipment, provisions, supplies and other goods, including vehicles and spare parts, which are for the exclusive and official use of MINUSCA;

Humanitarian access

Demands that all parties allow and facilitate the full, safe, immediate and unhindered access for the timely delivery of humanitarian assistance to populations in need, in particular to internally displaced persons, throughout the territory of the CAR, in accordance with the United Nations guiding principles of humanitarian assistance and relevant provisions of international law;

Humanitarian appeal

Welcomes the humanitarian appeal, regrets its insufficient current funding, and calls on Member States and international and regional organizations to respond swiftly to this appeal through increased contributions and to ensure that all pledges are honoured in full;

French Forces

Authorizes French forces, within the limits of their capacities and areas of deployment, from the commencement of the activities of MINUSCA until the end of MINUSCA’s mandate as authorized in this resolution, to use all necessary means to provide operational support to elements of MINUSCA from the date of adoption of this resolution, at the request of the Secretary-General and requests France to report to the Council on the implementation of this mandate and to coordinate its reporting with that of the Secretary-General referred to in paragraph 52 of this resolution;

Review and Reporting

Requests the Secretary-General to review on a regular basis the conditions required for the transition, drawdown and withdrawal of the United Nations operation, in a manner which does not prejudice overall efforts to support long term objectives for peace and stability, and looks forward to receiving this information as part of this regular reporting to the Security Council;

Requests the Secretary-General to keep the Council regularly informed of the situation in the CAR and the implementation of the mandate of MINUSCA, to report to the Council, on 1 August 2015, and then every four months from that date and to include in his reports to the Council updates on and recommendations related to the dynamic implementation of MINUSCA’s mandated tasks, including by providing appropriate financial information, information on the security situation, the priority political elements as defined above on political progress, progress on mechanisms and capacity to advance governance and fiscal management, relevant information on the progress, promotion and protection of human rights and international humanitarian law as well as a review of the troop and police levels, force and police generation and deployment of all MINUSCA’s constituent elements;

Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.