US amends Central African Republic ITAR restrictions
The US State Department has published a final rule which reflects changes made by the United Nations Security Council to the arms embargo on the Central African Republic (‘CAR’).
The rule notes that since the initial imposition of the embargo, CAR has made progress, ‘including the signing of a peace agreement between the CAR government and fourteen armed groups on February 6, 2019. These [UN] resolutions are intended to support the CAR government as it works to implement the peace agreement and extend state control over the entire territory of the country. The Department of State is amending ITAR §126.1(u) to implement the changes to the embargo.’
The revised rule reads: ‘It is the policy of the United States to deny licenses or other approvals for exports and imports of defense articles and defense services destined for or originating in the Central African Republic, except that a license or other approval may be issued, on a case-by- case basis, for:
(1) Defense articles intended solely for the support of or use by the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) and the European Union training missions deployed to the Central African Republic; French forces within the provisions of their bilateral agreement with the Central African Republic and the limits of their capacities and areas of deployment, and other Member States’ forces providing training and assistance as notified in advance to the Committee of the Security Council concerning the Central African Republic;
(2) Non-lethal equipment and the provision of assistance, including operational and non-operational training to the Central African Republic security forces, including state civilian law enforcement institutions, intended solely for the support of or use in the Central African Republic process of security sector reform, in coordination with MINUSCA, and as notified in advance to the Committee of the Security Council concerning the Central African Republic;
(3) Supplies brought into the Central African Republic by Chadian or Sudanese forces solely for their use in international patrols of the tripartite force to enhance security in the common border areas, in cooperation with MINUSCA, as approved in advance by the Committee of the Security Council concerning the Central African Republic.’
The full rule is at:
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2020-07-22/pdf/2020-13511.pdf
