Reflecting on the prime hurdles and successes of the International Community‟s Implementation of the Responsibility to Protect in Central Africa Republic 2013-2021

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to provide an analysis of the challenges and successes of the international community’s implementation of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) in Central Africa Republic (CAR) from 2013 to 2021. The introduction of the R2P doctrine in 2005 has activated debate among scholars on the efficacy of the R2P in mitigating war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity. State sovereignty is arguably the major obstacle in implementing the R2P doctrine, but the 2013 coup in CAR has opened a Pandora box of the other challenges to its operability which are vested interests and sectarian cleavages. The structure and functions of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) also affected the success of the R2P in CAR. The veto powers of the permanent five are inimical to the peace process in CAR. This paper also argues that although there are some problems in implementing the R2P in CAR, the international community was able to prevent the conflict from crystallising into genocide and averted a regional spill of the conflict. The study interrogates the evolution of the R2P as well as proffer recommendations on how the international community can improve the implementation of the R2P. The methodology employed in the study was qualitative desk research with emphasis on secondary sources of information such as books, journals, internet sources and newspapers.