Climate, Peace and Security in the Central African Republic

The Central African Republic (CAR) is highly exposed to the impacts of climate change due to socioecological vulnerabilities and ongoing insecurity. Drivers of vulnerability include the absence of state authority, natural resource mismanagement, and low household and community resilience. Although the security situation has improved in recent years, it remains volatile; factions of the Coalition of Patriots for Change (CPC), self-defence groups and bandits regularly clash with government forces, allies and mercenaries such as the Wagner Group (now Africa Corps) in rural areas. A changing climate and the deteriorating security situation in the Sahel and the Great Lakes region have driven transhumant pastoralists further into CAR earlier in the transhumance season, creating tensions. Additionally, the spillover effects of the war in Sudan have put added pressure on the humanitarian situation in CAR, particularly in the Vakaga and Haute-Kotto prefectures.

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• Climate change is expected to increase extreme weather events, negatively impacting livelihoods and food security. Conflict and poor disproportionally affecting women.
• The impacts of climate change and insecurity in the wider region contribute to unregulated transhumance into CAR, which affects conflict dynamics and poses risks to protected areas and biodiversity conservation.
• In the absence of effective state authority in some regions, armed groups, militias, self-defence groups, bandits and private military and security companies like the Wagner Group/Africa Corps are extracting and controlling natural resources.
• Natural resource mismanagement, illicit mining and the illicit trade of timber have played a major role in funding the protracted conflict. Corruption has prevented the government from fully leveraging its resources and is hampering economic development and climate action.

There has been progress in implementing the Political Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation in CAR (APPR-RCA) and the Luanda Joint Road Map for Peace in CAR, along with concerted efforts to restore peace and foster development. Nevertheless, greater efforts and resources are needed to address CAR’s security and development challenges, including climate-related security risks.

Further Reading:

• From the Norwegian Government: 'Addressing climate change and security in the Security Council'
• SIPRI's research on Climate Change and Risk
• About the Climate-related Peace and Security Risks (CPSR) project

More fact sheets in this series:

• Somalia fact sheet
• Somalia fact sheet (updated version 2022)
• Somalia fact sheet (updated version 2023)
• Mali fact sheet
• Sahel fact sheet
• Afghanistan fact sheet
• Afghanistan fact sheet (updated version)
• South Sudan fact sheet (updated version)
• Iraq fact sheet
• Iraq fact sheet (updated version)
• Sudan fact sheet
• Colombia fact sheet
• Central African Republic fact sheet
• Yemen fact sheet
• DRC fact sheet
• Myanmar fact sheet
• Libya fact sheet 
• Colombia fact sheet