STUDY GUIDE

MODEL UNITED NATIONS ALSA E - CHALLENGE 2017

COUNCIL: UNSC

The Central African Republic Ongoing Civil War

 United Nations Security Council
The Central African Republic Ongoing Civil War

Welcoming Letter and Chair Description

Dear Delegates,
We are delighted to welcome you to the United Nations Security Council of ALSA E-
Challenge Model United Nations 2017! This year, United Nations Security Council will be
focusing on the Central African Republic ongoing Civil War to be debated upon. Herein, we
are The Board of Dais consisted of one director and two assistant directors.

The director of the conference is Novia Meizura, a sophomore majoring in International

Relations of Universitas Indonesia. She started getting involved in Model United Nations
circle when she was in her second year of High School, by taking parts in Indonesia MUN
2013 and has since participated in several national Model UN conferences, namely ALSA UI
MUN and Jakarta MUN both in 2014 & 2015. She began her Model UN career in the
university as a head delegate of UI Official Delegation for Singapore MUN 2016 in which the
delegation managed to catch the Most Outstanding University Delegation award. She is really
excited to hear brilliant ideas and distinct perspectives coming from each individual and she
is looking forward to meet all of the UNSC delegates! meizuranovia@gmail.com

The first assistant director of the conference is Fachri Pramuja, currently in his second year of
the International Relations major of Universitas Indonesia. His MUN experience started in
the first year of college when He attended the first ever international Model United Nations
named Asia-Pacific Model United Nations Conference (AMUNC) in 2016 which He
represented his organization to the conference. On his previous experience, He always
assigned as a delegate in the particular council and this is the first time for Fachri to be a part
of Board of Dais in council in the Model United Nations. He is looking forward to learn as
much as possible during chairing on ALSA E-Challenge MUN and hoping that the
simulations will give the best experience for everyone involved in the council.
fachripramuja.fp@gmail.com

The second assistant director of the conference is Dinis Dwi Shinta Ramadhani, a final year
student in PKN STAN, majoring in Accounting. Despite her major, her curiosity triggers her

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to dig deeper about international issues through the MUN. Her first encounter with MUN was
in her second year of college when she joined IMATION (ISAFIS Diplomatic Simulation).
IMATION gave her a fine first impression about MUN and it boosted her to continue her
MUN career. Following IMATION, she joined Jakarta MUN 2016 and ITBMUN 2016. It is
truly a great honor for her to serve as the member of the Board of Dais in ALSA E-Challenge
MUN 2017 for it will be her first chairing experience. She dearly hopes that everyone
involved in this conference will get a fine learning experience and be able to share new
insights. dinisdwi@gmail.com

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Introduction of the Committee
United Nations Security Council

The United Nations Security Council is the paramount council of the UN which is
responsible to maintain international peace and security. The establishment of the Security
Council is enshrined in Chapter V of the UN Charter.
The members of the Security Council meet regularly to assess threats to international
security, addressing issues that include civil wars, natural disasters, arms control, and
terrorism. The Security Council has 15 members (5 permanent, 10 rotating) and each one of
them has one vote. The permanent members of the Security Council are granted the right to
veto that enables them to prevent the adoption of any substantive resolution.
Decisions of the Security Council on procedural matters shall be made by an
affirmative vote of nine members and a negative vote casted by a permanent member will not
invalidate the decision as long as nine affirmative votes are secured. On the other hand,
decisions of the Security Council on all other mattersincluding the substantive onesshall
be made by an affirmative vote of nine members including the concurring votes of the
permanent members. Under the Charter, all member states of the UN are obligated to comply
with the UNSCs binding decisions.

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Mandate of the Committee
In order to pursue the international peace and securityas mandated by the UN
Charterthe Security Council performs three main functions, which are: assisting the
peaceful settlement of disputes, establishing and overseeing UN peace-keeping forces, and
taking enforcement measures against recalcitrant States or other parties. Besides that, the
Security Council also recommends methods of adjustment or terms of settlement to the
parties involved in the dispute. In some cases, the Security Council can resort to imposing
sanctions or even authorize the use of force to maintain or restore international peace and
security.

The provisions pertaining the powers of Security Council are stated in Chapter VI,
VII, VIII and XII of the UN Charter which in general will be briefly described as follows:

Chapter VI: The Security Council may call upon the parties to settle the disputes,
investigate the dispute and recommend appropriate procedures or methods to settle
the disputes
Chapter VII: The Security Council shall determine the existence of any threat to the
peace, breach of peace, or aggression and call upon the parties to comply with
provisional measures. The Security Council may also determine the utilization of
armed forces had the non-armed measures been proven inadequate to maintain
international peace and security
Chapter VIII: The Security Council shall utilize such regional arrangements or
agencies for enforcement action under its authority.
Chapter XII: The Security Council may take part as the sole approver of the
trusteeship agreements and their alteration or amendment as well as the body to whom
the administering authority would be obligated as a contractual partner in this
agreement.

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Introduction of the Issue
Since gaining independence from France in 1960, Central African Republic (CAR)
has experienced six authoritarian leaders and the continuous presence of foreign troops.
Following a series of coups, civil wars, and foreign interventions, Central African Republic
held its first multiparty elections in 1993. However, instability grew and, with the backing of
Chad, Army General Franois Boziz rebelled and took power in 2003.
The Central African Republic conflict is an ongoing civil war in the Central African
Republic (CAR) between the *Slka rebel coalition and government forces, which began on
10 December 2012. The conflict arose after rebels accused the government of President
Franois Boziz of failing to abide by peace agreements signed in 2007 and 2011.1
Many rebel groups were already active in the north and northeast, including groups
formerly loyal to Boziz, and in 2012, they formed a loose alliance known as Slka,
predominantly made up of civilians from northern CAR. To gain supporters, Slka exploited
frustrations with the concentration of power in Bozizs family and the underdevelopment of
the northern region.2 In March 2013, the Slka, backed by heavily armed mercenary fighters
from Chad and Sudan, overthrew Boziz. The groups leader, Michel Djotodia, became the
first Muslim leader of the mainly Christian country.
Over the following months, the Slka led brutal attacks against civilians. Under a
U.N. resolution, France deployed an initial force of 1,200 troops to CAR in December 2013
to stabilize the capital, Bangui.3 Violence intensified beyond Bangui when former-President
Djotodia resigned in early January due to pressure from governments in the region, and a
transitional government took over. Thousands of Muslims fled the country out of fear of
retaliation attacks by self-defense militias known as **Anti-Balaka.
The Anti-Balaka, who are mostly Christian, seek revenge for the acts of Slka over
the last year and perceive Muslims as Slka collaborators. This is in part because Slka
forces include fighters from neighboring Muslim-majority countries, Chad and Sudan.4 While
the violence could appear to be religious in nature, religious-based violence is an outcome,

1Uppsala Conflict Data Program Encyclopedia, In Depth: The Seleka Rebellion, Central African Republic
Section, retrieved on http://www.ucdp.uu.se/gpdatabase/gpcountry.php?id=31&regionSelect=2-
Southern_Africa# 05 February 2016, 20.48.
2 Ibid.
3 Christian Panika, "CAR leader appeals for help to halt rebel advance." The Daily Star. Retrieved on
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/International/2012/Dec-28/200123-car-leader-appeals-for-help-to-halt-rebel-
advance.ashx, 06 February 2017, 22.35.
4 Ibid.

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not a cause of conflict. Economic and political incentives are motivating internal and external
actors.
Socio-economic frustration towards the Muslim population is deeply rooted in CAR.
Violence committed by the anti-Balaka group has left a deep scar in the social structure
which makes the reconciliation process rather difficult. The socio-economic paradigm
quickly stretched and took the shape of a religious conflict. The targets were not only
combatants of Seleka, but also women and children of Muslim origin of various social
backgrounds who suffered the desolation of this conflict. 5 Plundering of the Muslim
population was common for the anti-Balaka and was one of the main sources of income.
Greed and the socio-economic frustration were fully expressed at this point. Entire Muslim
communities have been pillaged to the ground.6
Notable trends can be observed in the anti-Balaka violence towards Muslims: firstly,
looting was always extremely violent and targeted the Muslim community; secondly, attacks
were present even when there was nothing left to take. However, the main threat of the anti-
Balaka group is the possibility of evolving into something similar of those armed groups in
the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Armed groups in eastern DRC, which were
motivated by self-defense at the start, quickly transformed into criminal organisations driven
by greed and profit.7 This spiral of hatred and violence in a civil war is immense. The need to
destroy an opposite ethnic group which inhabited the same country (sharing the same land,
culture, nationality) usually surpasses common sense.8
In the CAR civil war, the influence of neighboring countries is rather strong and is
shaping the conflict in more ways than one can imagine. Chad, with its security interests and
shifting support of the groups; Sudans role in supporting Slka; and Cameroons security
interests and interests in natural resources also play a significant role in the conflict. Sudanese
interests in CAR are focused on supporting Seleka and eventually securing their place in
society thus securing an important ally in CAR. 9 Slka and the Sudanese government share
many common interests and ideological attitudes.10 Supporting Seleka, Sudan would also
expand its sphere of influence in the region through an indebted partner. This would not only

5 Igor Pejic, Central African Republic: An Ongoing Civil War, retrieved on https://southfront.org/central-
african-republic-an-ongoing-civil-war/, 06 February 2017, 22.41.
6 Ibid.
7 Ibid.,
8 Ibid.,
9 Lydia Polgreen, "Fearing Fighting, Residents Flee Capital of Central African Republic, The New York
Times. Retrieved on http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/01/world/africa/residents-flee-bangui-capital-of-central-
africa-republic.html 06 February 2017, 22.57.
10 Ibid.,

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benefit Sudan in the security sector, but also in the economic sphere. Benefits of natural
resources like oil, gold and diamonds would be much easier to exploit by the Sudanese state
and non-state actors.11

*Slka is an alliance of rebel militia factions that overthrew the Central African Republic (CAR)
government.
**Anti-Balaka are Christian militias formed in the Central African Republic in 2013. Some members
have forcibly converted Muslims to Christianity

11 Ibid.,

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Historical Background and Significant Timeline
The stability of Central African Republic has been being disrupted for decades of
violence and conflict inheriting post-independence problems. Since 2012, situation got
worsened off as new crisis arose involving Central African Republic government, Seleka--
coalition of armed-primarily Muslim groups, and the Anti-Balaka groups, armed fighters-
predominantly Christian adherents. This insurgency has led to severe countrys security and
increased sectarian and ethnic tensions as Seleka rebels attacked CAR government in the end
of 2012.12 As the country plunged into deep conflict, President Boziz asked international
assistance of France and the United States to help stabilizing CAR. This initiative was
rejected by Francois Hollande, French President, insisting his national interest was only to
protect French people in the CAR, thus his troops were only deployed to do so. 13 But Bozize
received support from fellow African leaders after Economic Community of Central African
States (ECCAS) Multinational Force of Central Africa secured a number of CAR regions.
ECCAS members used their already present MICOPAX (Peace Consolidation Mission in the
Central African Republic) for this campaign.14
However, Seleka then successfully captured Bangui, the capital city of Central
African Republic and declared a coup in March 2013 installing Michel Djotodia in power.
This coup resulted in tragic bloodshed with rebels slaughtering civilians from other
communities. Seleka set up state of rule-by-terror to ensure no dissident against this coup.
Consequently, these massive killings sparked sectarian tension as members of the old regime
security forces and Christian fighters formed the Anti-Balaka groups. This new group fought
back against Seleka and launched reprisal killings against Muslims civilians, and eventually
expelling Muslim communities entirely in the region.15
Anti-balaka forces managed to expand their power and brutally commit attacks
against mostly Muslim civilians in September 2013. This subsequently displaced thousands
of people to the north where Seleka consolidating their power. Council on Foreign Relations

12 Council on Foreign Relations, Global Conflict Tracker: Ongoing Central African Republic War,
http://www.cfr.org/global/global-conflict-tracker/p32137#!/conflict/violence-in-the-central-african-republic
accessed February 1st, 2017
13 Al Jazeera, Central African Rebel Advances on Capital,
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/12/20121226235056434187.html accessed February 1st, 2017
14 The Daily Star, CAR Leader Appeals for Help to Halt Rebel Advance,
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/International/2012/Dec-28/200123-car-leader-appeals-for-help-to-halt-rebel-
advance.ashx accessed February 1st, 2017
15 Vox, CAR Human Rights Explainer, http://www.vox.com/2014/10/29/7078285/car-human-rights-explainer
accessed February 1st, 2017

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reported Seleka forces were disbanded by the government shortly after revenge attacks
began, but many ex-Seleka members started committing counterattacks, plunging CAR into a
chaotic state of violence and ensuing a humanitarian crisis. Following reports by human
rights groups and UN agencies mentioned that atrocities committed by both ex-Seleka forces
and anti-balaka groups. 16

Source: Vox.com

The international community has attempted several initiatives to invite fighting parties
to put on the table together. African Union with its foreign peacekeepers have had difficult
challenges that prevented them to solve and stabilize region. Even, some reports said African
Union forces, such as from Chad, fought alongside with Seleka groups and drove situation
horribly. This crisis complication has led the UN Security Council to establish a
peacekeeping force that incorporated African Union and French forces in 2014. The UN
Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic was
established with a strength of ten thousand troops and a mandate to protect civilians. 17

16 Council on Foreign Relations, Global Conflict Tracker: Ongoing Central African Republic War,
http://www.cfr.org/global/global-conflict-tracker/p32137#!/conflict/violence-in-the-central-african-republic
accessed February 1st, 2017
17 Ibid.,

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Past International Actions
European Union Force RCA Mission (2014)18
European Union Force RCA (EUFOR RCA) is an EU military operation in Bangui, Central
African Republic established in February 2014. Under the UN Security Council Resolution
2134, this mission is mandated to stabilize and secure the environment in Central African
Republic as resulted from the political unrests and internal conflicts happening in the country.
The main task of this force is to protect the populations at risk and provide humanitarian aid
to the people. The force is consisted of 700 troops in total and lasted for nearly a year. This
mission has been closed in March 2015.

UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in the Central African Republic

(2014)19
UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in the Central African Republic
(MINUSCA) is deployed by the UN Security Council in 2014. Its utmost priority lies in the
protection of civilians and it is tasked to facilitate humanitarian assistance, support the
transition process in the CAD, promote and protect human rights, support justice and the rule
of law, and be involved in the process of disarmament, demobilization, reintegration and
repatriation. The continuation of Central African Republic civil war has resulted in the
extension of MINUSCA mandate until November 2017.

African Solidarity Conference for the Central African Republic (2017)20

Recently, on February 1st 2017, The Commission of the African Union and the the
government of the CAR held African Solidarity Conference for the Central African Republic.
This conference is a form of support from African Union member states to the CAR, as it
further discusses the agenda of post-conflict reconstruction and development of the country.
The implementation of Recovery and Peacebuilding Plan 2017 2021 was also being one of
the most important matters in the conference.

18 European External Action Service, EUFOR CAR, http://www.eeas.europa.eu/archives/csdp/missions-and-

operations/eufor-rca/index_en.htm accessed on February 3rd 2017.
19 United Nations, United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in the Central African
Republic, http://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/missions/minusca/ accessed on February 3rd 2017.
20African Union Peace and Security, African Solidarity Conference for the Central African Republic,
http://www.peaceau.org/en/article/african-solidarity-conference-for-the-central-african-republic accessed on
February 5th 2017.

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Bloc Positions
This issue does not hold too many stern bloc positions, however, the CAR maintains
relations with several neighboring and international countries. Seeing as it is a landlocked
country, it needs to maintain good relations with several of its neighboring countries that have
access to a port. The troubled nation is also no stranger to international donations, especially
from the West.

United States of America

The United States of America initiated relations with the nation shortly after their
independence from France, in 1960. Because of the countrys history of military coupes and
instability, the U.S. Embassy has been forced to evacuate from CAR several times (U.S.
Department of State). From 1996-97, the embassy was forced to close due to an increase in
internal military deployment. They reopened the following year however the Peace Corps and
U.S. Agency for International Development did not till today (U.S. Department of State).

Sudan
There are mixed relations between CAR and Sudan due to skirmishes over grazing
land and waters amongst pastoralist groups. However, Sudan, northeast of CAR, was also a
part of the peacekeeping force in the coalition called the Community of Sahel- Saharan
States, helping to maintain sovereignty in the troubled nation.21

Cameroon
Located to the east of CAR, Cameroon shares a lot of cultural and social dynamics
with CAR. Since it is bordering the waters, it also plays the role of a very important
commerce partner. Cameroon is currently hosting over 259,000 refugees from CAR; this
amounts to around 55% of CARs total 467,000 (UNHCR). 22 185,000 of these refugees are
located in the eastern region, where the border between the two nations lies.

Chad
To the north, Chad was a very strong ally of Bozize and helped him rise to power however
with all the shifts in power, theyre relations have been strained. Regardless, theyre a
bordering nation, which makes it a hotspot for refugees. Chad currently has over 67,000
21 CAR Emergency. (n.d.) UNCHR, retrieved from http://www.unhcr.org/car-emergency.html. Accessed on
February 7th 2017..
22 Ibid.,

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refugees from CAR and this accounts for about 16 percent of the total refugee count
(UNHCR).23

France
France has been supportive of CARs attempts to get out of this crisis and has played
a role in initiating and maintaining dialogues among different authoritative forces. The
European nation also remains to be a very strong and important ally of CAR because they are
their biggest donor and have consistently provided humanitarian aid and troops.
France has proclaimed over $70 million to help alleviate the crisis in CAR (France
and the Central African Republic). About $45 million has gone to the recovery and then
development assistance and this has been distributed and executed primarily by the French
Development Agency in order to counter the long term harm caused by the crisis(France and
the Central African Republic).
Another large sum of more than $15 million goes to food provisions and emergency
humanitarian relief as a response to the immediate damage caused, which currently left
around 2.7 million people in dire need (Crisis Watch Database). Commerce and trade have
also heavily suffered between France and CAR due to the crisis, however it still remains the
biggest investor in the country

23 Ibid.,

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Questions a Resolution Must Answer (QARMAs)
1. What mechanism should UNSC use to approach the sectarian divide in the civil war?
How can UNSC resolve the tensions between Seleka and Anti-Balaka groups?
2. How should peacebuilding process be done? Is it necessary for UNSC to deploy
peacekeeping force in the peacebuilding process of CAR civil war?
3. How can UNSC prevent further damages of the conflict? How should UNSC protect
the civilians and give better humanitarian aid to the victim of the conflicts within its
mandate and power?

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Bibliography
African Union Peace and Security, African Solidarity Conference for the Central African Republic,
http://www.peaceau.org/en/article/african-solidarity-conference-for-the-central-african-republic
accessed on February 5th 2017.

United Nations, United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in the Central
African Republic, http://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/missions/minusca/ accessed on February 3rd
2017.

European External Action Service, EUFOR CAR, http://www.eeas.europa.eu/archives/csdp/missions-

and-operations/eufor-rca/index_en.htm accessed on February 3rd 2017.

CAR Emergency. (n.d.) UNCHR, retrieved from http://www.unhcr.org/car-emergency.html. Accessed

on February 7th 2017.

Council on Foreign Relations, Global Conflict Tracker: Ongoing Central African Republic War,
http://www.cfr.org/global/global-conflict-tracker/p32137#!/conflict/violence-in-the-central-african-
republic accessed February 1st, 2017.

Vox, CAR Human Rights Explainer, http://www.vox.com/2014/10/29/7078285/car-human-rights-

explainer accessed February 1st, 2017.

The Daily Star, CAR Leader Appeals for Help to Halt Rebel Advance,
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/International/2012/Dec-28/200123-car-leader-appeals-for-help-to-
halt-rebel-advance.ashx accessed February 1st, 2017.

Al Jazeera, Central African Rebel Advances on Capital,

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/12/20121226235056434187.html accessed February 1st,
2017.

Council on Foreign Relations, Global Conflict Tracker: Ongoing Central African Republic War,
http://www.cfr.org/global/global-conflict-tracker/p32137#!/conflict/violence-in-the-central-african-
republic accessed February 1st, 2017.

Lydia Polgreen, "Fearing Fighting, Residents Flee Capital of Central African Republic, The New
York Times. Retrieved on http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/01/world/africa/residents-flee-bangui-
capital-of-central-africa-republic.html 06 February 2017.

Igor Pejic, Central African Republic: An Ongoing Civil War, retrieved on

https://southfront.org/central-african-republic-an-ongoing-civil-war/, 06 February 2017.

Christian Panika, "CAR leader appeals for help to halt rebel advance." The Daily Star. Retrieved on
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/International/2012/Dec-28/200123-car-leader-appeals-for-help-to-
halt-rebel-advance.ashx, 06 February 2017, 22.35.

Uppsala Conflict Data Program Encyclopedia, In Depth: The Seleka Rebellion, Central African
Republic Section, retrieved on http://www.ucdp.uu.se/gpdatabase/gpcountry.php?
id=31&regionSelect=2-Southern_Africa# 05 February 2016.

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