The Security Council today renewed the sanctions regime targeting non-State armed groups and individuals operating in the Central African Republic for another year.
Unanimously adopting resolution 2827 (2026), (to be issued as document S/RES/2827(2026), the 15-member organ decided to extend the measures set out or extended in paragraphs 2 and 4 of resolution 2745 (2024) until 31 July 2027.
Under those terms, Member States shall take the necessary measures to prevent the direct or indirect supply, sale or transfer of arms and related materiel of all types to armed groups and associated individuals operating in that country. The regime also includes a travel ban and asset freezes targeting individuals undermining peace.
In addition, the Council extended until 31 August 2027 the mandate of the Panel of Experts supporting the 2745 Sanctions Committee as set forth in paragraph 6 of resolution 2745 (2024), reaffirming paragraphs 1, 3, 5 and 7 through 12 of said resolution, while noting that references to the Panel’s midterm and final reports should be updated to 31 January 2027 and 15 June 2027, respectively.
The Council first established the sanctions regime through resolution 2127 (2013), amid widespread armed conflict, grave human rights abuses and severe political instability in the Central African Republic.
These measures were intended to restrict the flow of weapons, deter individuals and entities undermining peace and the political transition, and hold accountable those responsible for violence, attacks against civilians and violations of international human rights and humanitarian law.
Prior to the adoption, France’s representative commended the significant progress in the Central African Republic in recent years towards democratic governance and the restoration of State authority. Still, the security situation remains fragile in border areas in the northeast and southeast. “It’s a responsibility of the Council to support the Central African Republic in the fight against armed groups,” he said, noting that the text specifically aims at curbing the cross-border flow of arms. “It is a question of using all the tools at our disposal in coordination with the Central African Republic to exert sufficient pressure on the armed groups,” he stressed.
After the text’s adoption, China’s delegate welcomed the resolution and also highlighted recent security and State authority gains in the Central African Republic, pointing out that “a new chapter in national development has begun”. However, today’s adoption is critical, as arms embargos, travel bans and related sanctions remain crucial to help the Government combat armed groups. Urging all States to fully respect those measures, he pledged China’s continued support for the Central African Republic’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and national development.
“This adoption also provides us with an opportunity to consider the road we have travelled and the challenges that remain,” said the representative of the Central African Republic, outlining significant progress in his country’s security situation.
However, armed groups — and notably, the cross-border supply networks that fuel them — are still a serious challenge. Asking the Council to consider who finances those groups and “who benefits from them”, he urged all parties to strictly abide by the sanctions regime just renewed. “The question is not about the armed groups themselves, but about the wider ecosystem,” he stressed, adding: “Collective Council action can yield results.”