Towards a new EU mission in the Central African Republic. First step

(B2) The 28 adopted, this Thursday (November 21), the crisis management concept (CMC) for the launch of a civilian advisory mission to the security forces in the Central African Republic. Small name: EUAM RCA

The role of the mission will be to support the reform of the internal security forces. Concretely, this will involve advice to the Ministry of the Interior, the police and the gendarmerie to “ help them deploy across the country ».

One step in a slow process

With the adoption of this crisis management concept, the European Union is taking a further step, but the implementation of the mission is slow. The 28 gave their political green light last July (read: The 28 will give the green light to a new CSDP mission in the Central African Republic). It took Member State experts four months to translate it into an official document. But the actual launch of the mission could happen quickly… before the end of 2019.

A need to provide the CAR with a civilian law enforcement force

France pushed hard in this direction from the start of the Central African crisis. After the pacification-stabilization period (with the EUFOR RCA force) then the restructuring-training period of the armed forces (with the EUMAM mission and EUTM RCA), the need very quickly became apparent to supplement this military effort with an effort towards Central African police and gendarmerie, which could be deployed in the region in particular. The needs are important. Much of the trouble in the Central African Republic stems more from armed gangs and criminality than from structured armed forces.

Member States' reluctance to a mission dedicated to internal security

Several EU member states were reluctant about this new mission. This is how an 'interoperability pillar' was first set up within the EUTM RCA military mission at the end of 2018. A semi-failure, with few countries agreeing to send forces (apart from France). The idea of ​​a specific mission dedicated to internal security forces has therefore emerged again. But, again, not without reluctance. The mission created is therefore not a complete training mission as expected, but rather a strategic advisory mission (EUAM), a prelude to it.

(Leonor Hubaut, with NGV)

For more details, read: The future EUAM RCA civilian advisory mission. The concept of crisis management explained

Read also:

• our file No. 43. EUMAM and EUTM RCA. Objective: to reform a Central African army
• With the formation of Bouar, we see the fruits of the work of these three years (General Peltier, EUTM RCA)
• A civilian mission in the CAR to strengthen the internal security forces: the reflection continues

Download the communicated