Central African Republic

Women and girls continue to face high levels of humanitarian need and difficulty accessing resources, including sexual and reproductive healthcare. Those displaced by conflict are at heightened risk of robbery and overcrowding in refugee camps, as well as increased sexual violence, exploitation, and disease transmission. Crisis response throughout CAR is undermined by continued political instability. Local elections have been delayed since October 2024 due to reported funding and logistical constraints and are now scheduled for December 2025. UN-backed efforts are underway to expand voter registration and security measures to enable women to access voting. CAR maintains a 35 percent quota for women political candidates, yet has historically fallen far below that target. Although women and girls in CAR face multifaceted challenges to their safety and participation, they continue to advance efforts to implement the 2019 peace agreement and played a key role in CAR’s ratification of the Maputo Protocol on August 26, 2025. Women also steered efforts to provide psychological counseling and legal services to survivors of gender-based violence through local organizations. 

As the election approaches, political violence remains a threat; the continued postponement of voting and the growing crackdown on civil society not only prevent Central Africans—including women—from participating in civic life but also risk increasing the likelihood of violence amidst mounting frustration. Although food security is now projected to improve between September 2025 and March 2026, women and girls may still be disproportionately harmed as they often have fewer resources compared to men and, due to deeply embedded patriarchal norms, may often be the last in their families to eat. Ongoing accountability efforts targeting perpetrators of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including recent judicial actions through the International Criminal Court and the domestic Special Criminal Court, may provide new paths toward accountability for survivors of these violations.

Presidential, parliamentary, and local elections are now scheduled for December 28, 2025 after being delayed due to funding and logistical shortfalls. Although the top court ultimately allowed the main opposition leader to run, the government’s earlier attempt to bar him has heightened political tension. Mounting politicization or further disruption to the election cycle would risk stoking unrest that could disproportionately affect women and girls, who already face heightened exposure to violence during periods of instability.

CAR’s Special Criminal Court, a UN-backed court which investigates crimes under international law committed during conflict, may close once its remaining funds are depleted and if new funding is not obtained. The court is crucial to ensuring justice for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, and its closure risks impunity for these violations.

Two rebel groups, UPC and 3R, agreed to dissolve and rejoin the 2019 Political Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation in the Central African Republic. The agreement, which was announced on July 10, 2025, involves integrating rebel soldiers into the army and state security forces. While this is an opportunity to reduce violence, reintegration of these forces—who have reportedly brutalized and raped civilians and displaced more than 30,000 people—risks normalizing and perpetuating violence against women and girls.

Recent assessments indicate that food insecurity is expected to ease between September 2025 and March 2026. However, this improvement is not always experienced equally, as women and girls—especially in conflict-affected regions—often still face heightened barriers to accessing food. 

The UN Security Council voted to renew MINUSCA’s mandate until November 15, 2026. This enables MINUSCA to continue its work supporting the upcoming elections and peace agreement implementation, including efforts to ensure women’s participation.

Former armed group members continue to participate in the government’s Disarmament, Demobilization, Reintegration, Repatriation program, which has already disarmed at least 4,325 members of various armed groups, including 737 women. The disarmament process, if gender-responsive, is a chance to increase stability and improve security for civilians, especially women and children.

The CAR government and the Chadian government announced the “Roadmap for Scaling Up Community Engagement in Education,” an initiative that promotes locally-driven education reform. Expanding access to education through these reforms could help keep girls—who are often the first to leave school during times of crisis—in the classroom longer. 

A new international initiative has increased psychological resources available for schoolgirls who have experienced trauma as a result of violence or conflict. Prior to this initiative, CAR only had one trained psychiatrist in the entire public health system, despite many adolescents in CAR being impacted by trauma and PTSD.