(Libreville) Dozens of people suspected of war crimes and crimes against humanity are still at large in the Central African Republic, in the grip of fighting between rebels and the army, Amnesty International lamented on Wednesday.
In a statement, the NGO regrets that “out of the 25 arrest warrants issued so far” by the Special Criminal Court (CPS) of the Central African Republic, “only one was executed, resulting in the arrest. […] Minister Hassan Bouba Ali ”.
But even he was “released a few days later by the Central African authorities, without any judicial decision”, continues Amnesty International.
Former rebel leader turned Minister of Livestock, Hassan Bouba Ali is suspected by the American NGO The Sentry of being responsible for the attack on a camp for displaced people in November 2018 in Alindao, 500 km east of Bangui, which resulted in the death of at least 112 villagers including 19 children.
Accused of a crime against humanity, he was arrested on November 19, but exfiltrated from his prison by gendarmes a week later. On November 29, he was awarded the National Order of Merit by President Faustin Archange Touadéra.
The CPS is a hybrid court, composed equally of Central African and international judges, responsible for judging in Bangui serious human rights violations committed since 2003.
The Central African Republic, considered one of the least developed countries in the world by the UN, has been the theater since 2013 of a civil war that was initially very deadly, but which has considerably decreased in intensity after 2018, even if whole swathes of territories continue to escape the central power of Bangui.
Amnesty International also denounced a “lack of support from the political authorities for the mission of the court”.
The NGO called on the political authorities and the UN to “ensure that all those responsible for crimes under international law […] be subjected to genuine investigations and tried in fair trials ”.
“The vast majority of victims are still waiting for justice, truth and reparations,” continues the human rights organization.
In October, the Central African Minister of Justice admitted part of the accusations formulated by the UN, in particular on crimes and acts of torture, committed “mainly” by rebels, but also by soldiers and their allies “Russian instructors”.