Central African Republic: the thorny issue of the arms embargo resurfaces
The United Nations Security Council plans to examine the possibility of lifting or relaxing the arms embargo on the Central African Republic.
According to Alexandre Bikantov, the question of lifting or modifying this embargo, extended for one year in July 2023, could be submitted for examination by the UN Security Council next summer.
Indeed, Bikantov explained that assessing the prospects for lifting or easing the embargo is difficult due to the tendency of some Security Council members to unnecessarily politicize the subject. He also recalled the position of Russia which considers this embargo as a “harmful anachronism” and denounces its exploitation by certain actors.
According to the Russian ambassador, it is unfair that Bangui is prevented from equipping its armed forces to protect national sovereignty, while extremists continue to smuggle weapons into the country. Furthermore, he stressed that only illegal armed groups opposed to the Central African authorities benefit unfairly from the maintenance of the embargo.
As a reminder, in July 2023 the United Nations Security Council extended the arms embargo in the Central African Republic for one year, with an exemption for the security forces. The Central African President, Faustin-Archange Touadéra, has repeatedly criticized this mechanism, calling it external interference hindering the country's ability to guarantee its security.