Search
Search
Journalism from the heart of crises
  1. Home
  2. Africa
  3. Central African Republic

Arrest warrant issued for CAR ex-leader Bozizé

The UN-backed Special Criminal Court (SCC) in the Central African Republic has issued an arrest warrant for the country's exiled former president, François Bozizé, over alleged crimes against humanity committed by the presidential guard during his 2009-2013 rule.

Bozizé, 77, fled CAR following a coup in 2013. He is accused of involvement in crimes including murder, enforced disappearance, torture, and rape by the presidential guard.

Bozizé has been living in exile in Guinea-Bissau but still leads an alliance of rebel groups in CAR called the Coalition of Patriots for Change (CPC).

Human rights organisations, including Amnesty International, have supported the warrant and are calling on Guinea-Bissau to extradite Bozizé to the Central African Republic.

Since its inception in 2018, the SCC – a hybrid court with both Central African and foreign magistrates – has issued over 25 arrest warrants. However, it has struggled to enforce them, successfully implementing only one. This involved Hassan Bouba Ali, a former leader of an armed group implicated by NGOs in the 2018 massacre of over 70 civilians. Ali was briefly detained before being released by Central African authorities without any judicial approval.

Central Africans have long suffered human rights violations, both during and after Bozizé's rule. Allegations of misconduct, including of sexual abuse by UN peacekeepers, persist.

For more on the latest situation in the country, read: Wagner woes and a rebel crackdown – A briefing on the Central African Republic’s shifting conflict

Share this article

Get the day’s top headlines in your inbox every morning

Starting at just $5 a month, you can become a member of The New Humanitarian and receive our premium newsletter, DAWNS Digest.

DAWNS Digest has been the trusted essential morning read for global aid and foreign policy professionals for more than 10 years.

Government, media, global governance organisations, NGOs, academics, and more subscribe to DAWNS to receive the day’s top global headlines of news and analysis in their inboxes every weekday morning.

It’s the perfect way to start your day.

Become a member of The New Humanitarian today and you’ll automatically be subscribed to DAWNS Digest – free of charge.

Become a member of The New Humanitarian

Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

Join