EU amends Central African Republic sanctions

The EU has added amended its CAR sanctions in 2 ways:

1. It has amended the derogations to its arms embargo and added a new one, which allows for technical assistance, financing, or brokering services to be provided where they relate to the supply of non-lethal equipment and the provision of assistance (including training for the CAR security forces) intended solely to support the process of Security Sector Reform, in coordination with the UN’s peacekeeping operation and provided the UN Sanctions Committee has been notified in advance. The amendments expressly allow for the provision of training relating to the supply of non-lethal military equipment for strictly humanitarian or protective use. They also add a requirement to notify the UN Sanctions Committee in advance when taking advantage of the derogation allowing small arms and related equipment to be provided for international patrols providing security in the Sangha River Protected Area.
2. It has amended the designation criteria for targeted asset freezes and travel bans to:

1. 1. shorten the fundamental designation criterion from “persons designated by the Committee as persons engaging in or providing support for acts that undermine the peace, stability, or security of the CAR” to “persons designated by the Committee” for being involved in one of several specific activities, which are “engaging in or providing support for acts that undermine the peace, stability, or security of the CAR” and the examples given previously under the former criterion; and
   2. change the specific examples of acts that undermine the peace, stability, or security of the CAR from “acts that threaten or violate transitional agreements, or that threaten or impede the political transition process, including a transition towards free and fair democratic elections, or that fuel violence” to “acts that undermine the peace, stability or security of the Central African Republic, including acts that threaten or impede the political transition process, or the stabilisation and reconciliation process or that fuel violence”.

See Regulation 2016/555 amending Regulation 224/2014 and Decision (CFSP) 2016/564 amending Decision 2013/798/CFSP.