WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs, applauded the unanimous vote of the United Nations Security Council on Thursday authorizing the deployment of 12,000 peacekeepers and police to the Central African Republic. Thousands have been killed in the last year and 2.5 million — about half of the nation’s population — need humanitarian aid. More than 700,000 have been internally displaced and more than 290,000 have fled to neighboring countries as refugees.
“Preventing a genocide in the Central African Republic is a global imperative, and today’s vote of the U.N. Security Council is a critically urgent step forward,” Senator Coons said. “After the Rwandan genocide — which began 20 years ago this week — the world vowed to never again stand by while innocent civilians were targeted for slaughter, as they are now in the Central African Republic. The United Nations has spoken in one voice today to aid the African Union’s ongoing efforts to protect civilians and restore law and order in the Central African Republic, and I’m proud that the United States will support this mission.”
“Our commitment to peacekeeping must be demonstrated not only in our rhetoric, but in our actions,” Senator Coons continued. “While I welcome the announcement that the U.S. will provide an additional $22 million in humanitarian assistance, Congress’ failure to lift the U.S. cap on funding U.N. peacekeeping operations, and the growing shortfalls in our peacekeeping budget, make funding this and future peacekeeping missions even more challenging. There is no excuse for the United States to ignore its financial responsibilities to the international community, especially with so many innocent lives at stake. I intend to work with my colleagues on the Senate and House Appropriations Committees over the coming months to ensure the United States fully funds this important mission, along with other ongoing U.N. peacekeeping operations, including the mission in Mali. Congress should also lift the cap on U.S. contributions to U.N. peacekeeping operations and support a new funding mechanism to ensure that we have flexible funding to support international peacekeeping operations.”
The Central African Republic has experienced escalating violence and lawlessness since a March 2013 coup. The violence has forced at least 700,000 to flee their homes, many hiding in the bush or taking refuge in dangerous conditions around churches and schools, and half the population of 4.6 to 5 million needs humanitarian assistance.
In March, the Senate voted to condemn the violence in the Central African Republic, welcome international peacekeeping and humanitarian efforts, and urge President Obama to work with our international partners to develop a strategy for achieving a cease-fire and establishing a sustainable peace.
In December, Senator Coons chaired a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs on the crisis in the Central African Republic. He also applauded the U.N. Security Council’s increased efforts to stop the violence, and the decision by the United States to increase humanitarian assistance to the Central African Republic.