Main area: Peace and security
Theme: Activities involving partner country military
Assessment: Non ODA-eligible
Provider country: EU Institutions
Recipient country: Central African Republic
Implementing agency: The EU through EUTM RCA
Budget (USD x 1000): 19 287 (NB. only covering common costs as defined by the EU Athena mechanism)
Year(s): 2016-2018
Purpose code: Not applicable
Case number: Peace and Security / 19
EU Military Training (EUTM RCA)
The 17 and 18 November 2015 European Council concluded that a common approach was required, alongside the UN in the Central African Republic, to reform indigenous security forces, stabilise the situation and support the political process. Therefore it was decided that the EU should conduct a Common Security Defence Policy Military Training Mission in the Central African Republic (EUTM RCA) in order to contribute to the Defence Sector Reform in the Central African Republic (CAR) as part of the Central African Security Sector Reform process coordinated by MINUSCA (the UN mission present in CAR).
The EUTM RCA aims to develop self-sustainable Central African Armed Forces' (FACA) capabilities, necessary to fulfil its assignments in the security sector and to allow progressively developing FACA in a way that is credible, accountable, and ethnically representative as well as regionally balanced and that is under democratic control. The EUTM RCA provides:
Strategic advice to CAR’s Ministry of Defence, Military General Staff;
Education of both commissioned and non-commissioned officers as well as specialists;
Operational training to the FACA.
The aim is that, over four years, CAR MOD and État Major des Armées should respect the principles of the SSR and the coordination with MINUSCA, especially concerning the deployment and employment of FACA in CAR.
As of September 2017, some important documents for re-establishing the FACA have been drafted. About 15% of the target audience has been educated and one battalion has been trained (another is being trained).
This project is deemed non ODA-eligible as it aims at building defence capacities of the partner country's armed forces. Only technical co-operation provided to the armed forces as part of wider national security system reform to improve good governance and civilian oversight could be deemed eligible (see DCD/DAC(2024)40/FINAL, paragraph 129). The mission of EUTM RCA is to provide training to the partner country military; this is non ODA-eligible except for training in limited areas (see DCD/DAC(2024)40/FINAL, paragraph 121).
This document was approved by the Development Assistance Committee under a written procedure on 20 October 2017 and prepared for publication by the OECD Secretariat.
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