Central African Republic Govt Rejects Atrocities Allegations Against Its ‘Bilateral Forces’
United Nations Multidimensional Stabilisation Mission has submitted a report highlighting abuses by bilateral forces in CAR.
The Central African Republic government has rejected criminal activities allegations made against what it called its “bilateral forces.”
Government spokesperson Ange-Maxime Kazagui, in a communique on Monday, May 3, said the government rejects “in bloc, the allegations of crimes formulated by the United Nations Multidimensional Stabilisation Mission (MINUSCA) in the Central African Republic against state actors and bilateral forces.”
According to the government spokesperson, MINUSCA had handed over a list titled “Table of violations committed by state actors/bilateral forces December 2020 to April 2021” to CAR President Faustin Archange Touadera.
In the list, Kazagui said MINUSCA “seriously put into question national and bilateral forces through allegations of arbitrary/extrajudicial executions, torture, sexual violence, inhuman, degrading and cruel treatment, arrests and arbitrary detentions, threats to physical integrity, threats of death.”
He said that the government was surprised by the “actions of MINUSCA which do not in any way correspond to established norms.”
According to him, the “government has never at any given time been informed of any investigations being carried out in the Central African Republic, on its initiator, the methods or even the calendar.”
“In addition, it has never been solicited to give its opinion on an eventual report related to the investigations which would have permitted it to have an idea of the credibility of the investigators, their methods and their objectivity and of course the veracity of the allegations.”
Kazagui said the government considered the MINUSCA document as being “simple denunciations” but due to the gravity of the allegations, the government might be forced to act.
“Thus, in conformity with the law, the Ministry of Justice has been instructed on the opening of a judiciary inquiry,” Kazagui added.
In all Central African Republic communities that Russian mercenaries have carried out military operations against armed groups, they have consistently been accused of atrocities including looting, torture, extortion, and sexual violence against females.
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