President, like others I extend condolences to the fallen Tunisian peacekeeper’s family, and express our gratitude for the personal sacrifices that peacekeepers and their families make in support of peace.
We condemn all attacks on UN peacekeepers.
I will make three points today.
First, the UK welcomes the work by the government of CAR, in coordination with MINUSCA, to advance voter registration for elections.
The elections should be an important milestone in expanding the political participation of all individuals in CAR.
However, the UK has information that Proxies directed by the Russian state have plans to interfere with CAR elections, including through suppressing political voices and conducting disinformation campaigns to interfere in political debate.
These actions demonstrate that Russian proxies act without regard for CAR’s sovereignty in order to secure continued support for their destabilising objectives.
Furthermore, they jeopardise the dedicated UN role, mandated by this Council, to help support inclusive, free and fair elections in 2025 and 2026.
Second, the UK also welcomes progress by the government of CAR to improve its security and accountability capacity.
This includes delivering the first disciplinary sanctions against magistrates since 2013.
However, as the Secretary-General’s report highlights, CAR faces many security challenges.
Attacks by Sudanese Rapid Support Forces in CAR threaten progress made in implementing the 2019 Political Agreement.
The UK calls on all actors to respect CAR’s territorial integrity.
We also encourage the government of CAR to enhance border management with Sudan to support refugees and prevent their exploitation by armed elements.
Third, we remain concerned at the human rights situation in the country.
The UK condemns reports of ‘Wagner Ti Azande’ and other armed groups committing atrocities against civilians, including conflict-related sexual violence.
Grave violations against children are also increasing.
We urge the government of CAR to enhance their efforts to identify recruited children and secure their handover to child protection actors.
We also call on all actors to the conflict to uphold their obligations under International Humanitarian and Human Rights Law.
President, to conclude, the coming year will be important for supporting peace and security in CAR, including through elections.
The UK remains committed to supporting MINUSCA and the government of CAR to embed genuine long-term security while preserving CAR’s sovereignty.
