United Nations, US: The UN peacekeeping chief warned Thursday about potential spill over from Sudan’s war to undermine nascent stability in the Central African Republic, including paramilitary operations.
Last week, an armed group attacked a patrol by the UN mission in the CAR, killing a Zambian peacekeeper.
Among the world’s poorest countries, the CAR shares a border with Sudan, which has been plunged into devastating conflict between the regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces since April 2023.
Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix highlighted the armed group attacking the CAR mission during a Security Council meeting Thursday, and a report released by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres’s office noted attacks in the region as well.
“The security situation remains fragile in border areas,” Lacroix told the UN Security Council, referring to the CAR.
“In the northeast, on the border with Sudan, instability is characterized by the overflow of Sudanese conflict, including incursions by armed groups,” he added.
The Central African Republic is also reckoning with rising numbers of Sudanese refugees fleeing the conflict, with the UN report estimating 36,642 living in the country as of June 1.
“The Sudanese conflict is a real threat. Armed groups are crossing our borders, recruiting young people and compromising our sovereignty,” said CAR UN ambassador Marius Aristide Hoja Nzessioue.
Lacroix said the Central African Republic was at a “delicate juncture,” adding that support for the progress made toward upcoming elections from the international community “remains essential.”
“If these efforts are sustained...the Central African Republic has the potential to become a true success story — not only for Central Africans, but also for Peacekeeping and for this Security Council,” Lacroix said.