UN peacekeeping chief warns that conflict in Sudan is spilling into Central African Republic

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The conflict in Sudan is spilling across its southwestern border into Central African Republic, a country already battered by its own conflict with rebels, the United Nations peacekeeping chief warned Thursday.

Undersecretary-General Jean-Pierre Lacroix told the U.N. Security Council that the attack that killed a U.N. peacekeeper near the country’s border with Sudan last Friday was carried out by “armed Sudanese elements.” His comments were the first identifying Sudanese armed fighters as responsible for the attack on the peacekeepers.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also said in a new report to the Security Council that vehicles suspected of belonging to the Rapid Support Forces — the key actors in Sudan’s civil war — were sighted on several occasions in the areas of Am Dafok and Aouk (Vakaga Prefecture) of Central African Republic, where U.N. peacekeepers are present.

In the report covering the period from mid-February to mid-June, Guterres said, “In the northeast (of CAR), armed incursions linked to the conflict in the Sudan continued.”

Sudan plunged into civil war when rival generals heading the country’s armed forces and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces started fighting each other in mid-April 2023. Since then, at least 24,000 people have died, about 13 million Sudanese have fled their homes, famine is setting in and cholera is sweeping across the country. Both sides have been accused of war crimes.

Meanwhile, CAR has been battling conflict since 2013, when predominantly Muslim rebels seized power and forced then President François Bozizé from office. It is among the first countries in Africa to welcome Russia-backed forces, with Moscow seeking to help protect authorities and fight armed groups.

Lacroix, the U.N. peacekeeping chief, said that while progress is being made with some groups on reintegrating into CAR’s peace process, violence by armed groups and militias continues, compromising stability and posing a significant threat to civilians.

He said the government continues to collaborate with MINUSCA — the U.N.’s peacekeeping operation in CAR — on extending and enhancing its presence throughout the country and improving security in border areas.

“Despite these efforts, the security situation remains tenuous in border areas in the northeast,” Lacroix said. “In the border region with Sudan, instability continues to be characterized by the spillover of the Sudanese conflict.”

With general elections expected to be held in December, the political situation remains “punctuated by mistrust and tensions between the majority in power and opposition,” Lacroix said. The elections represent a ”crucial opportunity” to strengthen democratic governance, promote reconciliation and consolidate stability, he added.