Summary

Signatory the Central African Republic has pledged to ratify the Convention on Cluster Munitions, but has not yet done so. It last participated in a meeting of the convention in 2014. The Central African Republic voted in favor of the annual United Nations (UN) resolution promoting universalization of the convention in December 2021.

The Central African Republic has stated that it has never used, produced, or exported cluster munitions, and that its stockpiled cluster munitions have been destroyed.

Policy

The Central African Republicsigned the Convention on Cluster Munitions on 3 December 2008.

The current status of its ratification is not known. Previously, in 2013, government representatives said that internal armed conflict was delaying ratification of the convention.[1] Prior to 2013, officials reported that the ratification was pending.[2]

The Central African Republic participated in a regional meeting of the diplomatic Oslo Process that created the convention, in Kampala, Uganda in September 2008.[3] It signed the convention in Oslo in December 2008.

The Central African Republic participated in meetings of the convention until 2014.[4] It was invited to, but did not attend, the Second Review Conference held in November 2020 and September 2021.

In December 2021, the Central African Republic voted in favor of the key United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution urging states outside the convention to “join as soon as possible.”[5] The Central African Republic has voted in favor of the annual UNGA resolution promoting the convention every year since it was first introduced in 2015, with the exception of 2017 when it was absent from the vote.

The Central African Republic is a State Party to the Mine Ban Treaty. It is not party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW).

Use, production, transfer, and stockpiling

The Central African Republic has stated that it has never used, produced, or transferred cluster munitions, and that it has no stocks of cluster munitions.[6]

Officials have indicated that cluster munitions have been recovered from non-state armed groups (NSAGs) operating in the country in the past.[7]

Policy

The Central African Republic (CAR) acceded to the Mine Ban Treaty on 8 November 2002, becoming a State Party on 1 May 2003. CAR has declared that existing legislation is sufficient to enforce the antipersonnel mine prohibition domestically.[1]

CAR did not participate in the Ottawa Process that lead to the Mine Ban Treaty. It has attended two Mine Ban Treaty Meetings of States Parties, in September 2002 (when it announced its intention to join the treaty) and in 2005, in addition to some meetings of the intersessional Standing Committees in Geneva. Since 2005, CAR has not attended any meeting of the treaty, including the Second and Third Review Conferences, Meetings of States Parties, or intersessional meetings. It submitted an initial Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 report in November 2004, but has not submitted any subsequent annual reports.

On 5 December 2018, CAR voted in favor of UN General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 73/61 promoting universalization and implementation of the convention, as it has in previous years.[2]

CAR is not a party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons. CAR is a signatory state to the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

Use, production, transfer, and stockpiling

CAR has reported that it has not produced, exported, or imported antipersonnel mines, including for training purposes, and it is not known to have ever used them.[3]

There have been no reports of antipersonnel mine use in the internal conflict between the government and rebel forces since 2013. However, several types of landmines, including M19 and TC/6 antivehicle mines and NR442 antipersonnel mines, were photographed by researchers from Human Rights Watch (HRW) and by a journalist from France24 News in February 2014 among the weapons seized from armed groups by French forces near Mpoko.[4]

Also, the Belgian-made NR442 bounding fragmentation mines and the containers for the pressure fuzes for the mines appear in a photo released by the French Ministry of Defense in February 2014. These mines were destroyed by explosive ordnance disposal experts from the French peacekeeping mission as part of Operation Sangaris.[5]

Mines were also present in photographs taken on 30 June 2014 when UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) visited Camp du Roux where poorly stored ammunition was found and assessed.[6]