Amnesty urges CAR to arrest minister Hassan Bouba
The rights group calls for continued funding and prosecution of officials for war crimes.
Amnesty International is pressing Central African Republic authorities to execute arrest warrants issued by the Special Criminal Court (CPS), including one for Minister Hassan Bouba. The organization's report, "The perpetrators are still here," also calls for sustainable funding for the court, which has faced financial crises.
The report, based on a mission to Bangui and interviews with 63 people, acknowledges the CPS's progress, citing 19 convictions and one acquittal in its first three cases. However, Amnesty states that prosecutions of high-ranking officials remain insufficient. Hassan Bouba, a former UPC leader, was arrested in November 2021 for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Alindao case but was released a week later while still a minister, with the Ministry of Justice citing the expiration of detention periods.
Amnesty also highlighted that arrest warrants for suspects abroad, including former president François Bozizé in Guinea-Bissau and others in Chad, remain unexecuted due to a lack of cooperation from those states. The withdrawal of US funding in 2025 has worsened the CPS's crisis, leading to staff layoffs and a halt in new investigations. Amnesty recommends sufficient multi-year funding and administrative and financial management transfer to the CPS registry.
Why it mattersMinister Hassan Bouba and other officials face potential prosecution for war crimes and crimes against humanity.