Statement by Deputy Permanent Representative Anna Evstigneeva at UNSC Briefing on CAR
Mr. President,
We wish to thank the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Valentina Rugwabiza, for her briefing. We are grateful to the Chair of the UN Peacebuilding Commission and Permanent Representative of Morocco to the UN, Mr. Omar Hilale, for his insightful remarks.
We welcome the participation of the Permanent Representative of the Central African Republic in this meeting.
First of all, we would like to congratulate our friends from the Central African Republic (CAR), the people and the leadership of this country on the successful conduct of the general elections. For the first time in the country's recent history, voting took place in all provinces. Moreover, the country has had its first local elections since 1988. This is, without exaggeration, a historic milestone on the path to a definitive resolution of the long-standing and bloody armed conflict.
The successful conduct of the elections further attests to the gradual normalization of the situation in CAR, which is being done with the assistance of Russia, the UN, and other international partners. We all remember what the situation was like in CAR in 2020-2021, and what helped to reverse the course of events. It’s perfectly clear now that the country is steadily returning to peaceful life and stepping up efforts to capitalize on its achievements in the security track.
Certain threats undoubtedly persist, primarily those emanating from illegal armed groups. However, they are localized in nature and affect mainly CAR's borders. Of particular concern in this regard are the cross-border implications of the ongoing conflict in neighboring Sudan.
We deem important to continue and incrementally increase assistance for Bangui's efforts to ensure border security and strengthen national capacities to prevent the movement of fighters and their supply with weapons. Much also depends on effective border cooperation among countries in the Central African subregion. We note significant progress in this regard.
At the same time, the improvement of the security situation is facilitated by further consolidation of the peace process, led by the CAR government. In particular, we would like to highly commend Bangui's practical steps to implement the agreements with the largest armed groups reached in 2025 through the mediation of Chad. A significant number of fighters have already been demobilized and disarmed. In total, more than 6,000 former combatants have surrendered their weapons following the signing of the 2019 Political Agreement.
The leaders of irreconcilable armed groups should have realized long ago that continued armed struggle is futile, and it is high time for them to return to dialogue with the CAR government. Alternatively, they are heading to a very unfortunate destiny.
Another important contribution to stabilizing the country is being made by the UN peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA). Its mandate was extended once again by the Security Council last November. The Mission's work in assisting the authorities with electoral proceedings deserves our highest praise. Despite the necessary measures to streamline resource allocation and staffing, which were prompted, as we know, by the unwillingness of some contributors to fulfill their financial obligations, the peacekeepers are effectively carrying out their mandate. We support the leadership of MINUSCA and thank the military personnel of the troop-contributing countries.
We are convinced that the normalization in CAR, with continued external support, including from the UN and international financial institutions, will be irreversible in nature and will allow Bangui to focus on a constructive domestic agenda in the interests of its citizens and the State. At the same time, such support must be based on the principles of non-interference in internal affairs and respect for sovereignty, and must be focused on the priorities of the Central African people themselves.
Guided by these very principles, Russia intends to continue providing comprehensive and effective assistance to the CAR authorities.
Thank you.
