Statement of Latvia at the UN Security Council briefing on MINUSCA (Central African Republic)
New York, 25 February 2026
Thank you, Mr President.
I first wish to thank the SRSG Ms. Valentine Rugwabiza for her briefing and commend her for her steadfast leadership, as well as tireless efforts of all civilian and uniformed personnel of MINUSCA. And I thank the Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission Ambassador Omar Hilale for the valuable contribution to today’s briefing. And I welcome the participation of the Permanent Representative of the Central African Republic in this meeting.
I will make three points.
First, Latvia welcomes the holding of the historic quadruple elections in Central African Republic in December 2025, and notes that the polls were generally conducted in a peaceful and orderly manner. We also commend MINUSCA for its support to the electoral process and enabling conditions that allowed citizens to cast their votes. Although, the electoral cycle has not concluded yet, the provisional results for the municipal elections indicate that almost half of the elected candidates are women. And that is a positive signal. We hope that this will reinforce full, equal and meaningful participation of women, as well as their representation at all levels. This is, indeed, a pivotal moment for the Central African Republic. So we encourage the newly elected representatives and the next government to commit to inclusive and democratic governance, peace and sustainable development.
The holding of the municipal elections delivers on a key provision of the 2019 Political Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation. And that is my second point. We do welcome the advancement in the peace process as described by our briefers. Peace efforts must be sustained and consolidated through implementation of the nationally-led DDR process. And here MINUSCA’s support remains critical and should be backed by adequate and timely resources. While progress is commendable, persistent human rights abuses, including conflict-related sexual violence committed by armed groups and other armed actors cannot be overlooked. Impunity has an erosive power. We do echo the Secretary General’s call for the Government to further strengthen accountability mechanisms. Additionally, we also wish to emphasize the importance of timely reporting of the Panel of Experts pursuant to resolution 2745. It is essential for this Council to stay fully abreast on facts on the ground, and any developments that can undermine the progress that has been achieved.
Third, insecurity caused by the spillover from the conflict in Sudan, armed groups, and criminality underscores the importance of extending the State authority and its presence throughout the country. We condemn the violence by the Azandé Ani Kpi Gbé elements against civilians, national defence and security forces and MINUSCA and the disruption of the electoral process in Haut-Mbomou prefecture. Emergence of this threat also holds a cautionary tale how grievances can be exploited to build allegiances and how they can shift. Mr President, while the ultimate goal is for the Central African Republic to take full ownership of its security, we observe that for now the support of MINUSCA remains indispensable. Therefore, it is critical to ensure that this Council’s discussions and decisions on transition are based on a careful assessment of the situation on the ground. And it should be our shared objective to make the peace and security gains in Central African Republic irreversible.
And I thank you.