DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY JACKSON: Thank you very much Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member
Bass, and Congressman Cicilline.
This is an opportunity for the State Department to offer its views on this very important
subject.
Seleka, a loose coalition of four rebel groups, under the command of Michel Djotodia, began
their violent trek from northeastern Central African Republic toward the capital city of
Bangui in late 2012.
The overthrow of then President Francois Bozize on March 24th by Seleka forces only exacerbated
the crisis.
I had been following that crisis from neighboring Cameroon, and after Bozize fled the country,
we saw Djotodia declare himself president, suspend the constitution, and dissolve the
national assembly thus leading the country into greater turmoil.
We are deeply concerned by the extreme levels of lawlessness and violence that continue
to plague the country.
The United States publicly condemned the Seleka rebellion from the very beginning.
Furthermore, the United States Government suspended as a matter of policy direct assistance
to the Central African Republic central government, but allowed for special funding carve outs
that permit NGO sponsored programs operating in the country focused on humanitarian assistance,
civilian protection, health, and anti trafficking and persons activities, all of which focus
on vulnerable populations susceptible to violence and instability.
The conflict in the C.A.R.
has internally displaced nearly 400,000 people and forced approximately 68,000 new refugees
into the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, and Chad.
In fiscal year 2013, the U.S. Government provided more than $24 million in humanitarian assistance
to C.A.R. in support of programs providing food and non-food items, health services,
access to clean water, and more.
The State Department also provided $6.2 million to UNHCR and UNICEF to respond to the needs
of new refugees in these neighboring countries.
Mr. Chairman, Members of the Subcomittee, establishing civilian protection in Bangui
and the countryside is a prerequisite for a more substantial international presence
in assisting the C.A.R to address the ongoing crisis.
In order to help restore peace and ensure civilian protection throughout the country,
we strongly supported the adoption of UN Security Council resolution 2121, which expressed the
Council's support of the African Union-led International Support Mission in the Central
African Republic known as MISCA.
We believe that MISCA is the best mechanism for quickly addressing the ongoing violence
in the C.A.R.
Facilitating the provision of humanitarian assistance and establishing the environment
necessary for an eventual political transition to take place.
The Department of State is now in the process of notifying the congress of our intention
to provide logistical support, non-lethal equipment, training, and planning assistance
to MISCA.
We are also urging countries in the region, as well as the broader international community,
to assist in facilitating its rapid implementation.
We are concerned that the violence between the largely Muslim Seleka rebels and the self-defense
militias that have formed in majority Christian communities in reaction to Seleka's abuses,
is now taking on an increasingly religious caste.
For example, fighting in Bossangoa and Bangassou between Seleka and local defense militias
in September and October, sets the stage for what could, in a worst case scenario, lead
to atrocities on an even larger scale than we have witnessed to date.
On November 8th, as part of our continued commitment to working with the international
community to find an immediate solution aimed at ending the violence and creating stability
in the C.A.R., the State Department Senior Advisor for C.A.R.
traveled to Bangui for the first time to participate in the third meeting of the International
Contact Group.
This frank and honest discussion resulted in the Bangui Declaration, which calls for
the international community to strengthen the AU-led MISCA military mission and to lend
support for the C.A.R.'s transitional roadmap.
While in Bangui, the United States led the discussion calling on President Djotodia to
reverse his plan to enlist former Seleka rebels into the C.A.R.
military.
We strongly oppose the trend of past authoritarian leaders in the C.A.R.
using the military as an instrument of personal power instead of national defense.
We have utilized this and other diplomatic engagements including lengthy discussions
with the government of France in Paris last week as a means to urge regional and international
partners to provide troops, additional funding, and other support necessary for MISCA to deploy
quickly into C.A.R.
We also use these opportunities to press our international partners to join us in looking
for ways to bolster the legitimate portions of the transitional government, including
Prime Minister Tiangaye, so that governance can begin to be restored to the country and
we can begin focusing on holding elections by February 2015 as called for in the political
agreements that brought an end to the fighting earlier this year.
We hope through these engagements that we will have an increased commitment by the international
community to be more engaged on the serious issues facing the C.A.R.
Chairman Smith, Ranking Member Bass, Congressmen, let me assure you that we remain substantively
engaged and will continue to address the ongoing crisis in the C.A.R.
There is no doubt that the international community must act quickly.
We are committed to working with our international partners to bring about peace and security
for the people of the Central African Republic.
We also look forward to keeping you and the Committee informed of our efforts in this
regard.
I would be glad to answer any questions you may have.