On 24 January 2013, the Security Council adopted resolution S/RES/2088, extending the mandate of the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in the Central African Republic (BINUCA) until 31 January 2014. In this resolution, the Security Council strongly condemns continued violations of international humanitarian and human rights law, including the recruitment and use of children, killing and maiming of civilians, including of children, rape and sexual slavery and other forms of sexual and gender-based violence and abductions, all of which were documented in Watchlist’s 2011 report on CAR. The Security Council further demands that all armed groups prevent the recruitment and use of children, calls on relevant armed groups to implement action plans signed in November 2011, demands that all parties protect and treat as victims those children who have been released or otherwise separated from armed forces and armed groups, and emphasizes the need to pay particular attention to the protection, release and reintegration of all children associated with armed groups;. In addition, the Security Council calls on all parties to identify and release forcefully recruited persons, especially children, from their ranks without delay and to issue clear orders regarding sexual violence as well as encouraging donors to support the increase of services to address the needs of victims.
Resolution 2088 represents a significant strengthening of the Security Council’s action on children and armed conflict in the Central African Republic. Previously, in resolution S/RES/2031, the Security Council had welcomed the conclusion of action plans by certain parties and called other parties to conclude action plans and to engage with the Special Representative of the Secretary-General in that regard. In light of new fighting in the Central African Republic and reports of continuing violations against children, the Security Council has taken a more assertive stance in demanding the prevention of the recruitment and use of children and calling on armed groups to implement signed action plans. As the situation in the Central African Republic is likely to continue to develop, the Security Council also requests the Secretary-General to provide a report, no later than 31 March 2013 on the situation on the ground and an assessment regarding how BINUCA can further implement its priorities in light of recent events, and it expresses its intention to consider this assessment in the following weeks.
