Former CAR President Bozizé Goes on Trial in Absentia for Crimes Against Humanity

BANGUI, Central African Republic - A UN-backed court in the Central African Republic opened the trial in absentia of former president François Bozizé on Tuesday, launching proceedings against the 79-year-old over crimes against humanity allegedly carried out by members of his security forces between 2009 and 2013.

The case is being heard by the Special Criminal Court, a hybrid jurisdiction based in the capital Bangui with both Central African and international judges. The alleged crimes attributed to Bozizé's security apparatus include murder, enforced disappearance, torture and rape.

Bozizé, who seized power in a 2003 coup and was overthrown a decade later by a coalition of mostly Muslim rebels, has been living in exile in Guinea-Bissau since March 2023. His absence from the Central African Republic has not halted proceedings. The Special Criminal Court issued an international arrest warrant for the former president in February 2024, following an investigation into crimes against humanity allegedly committed by Bozizé's Presidential Guard at a civilian prison and a military training centre in the central town of Bossembele.

The court's judges concluded that there was "serious and consistent evidence" against Bozizé likely to engage his criminal liability "in his capacity as hierarchical superior and military leader."

Three of Bozizé's former senior military officers are in pre-trial detention in the Central African Republic and are parties to the case. They are Eugene Barret Ngaikosset, Vianney Semndiro and Firmin Junior Danboy. No extradition arrangement between the Central African Republic and Guinea-Bissau has been confirmed in available reporting.

The Special Criminal Court is mandated to investigate and prosecute war crimes committed in the Central African Republic since 2003, a period defined by repeated armed conflict and authoritarian rule stretching back to the country's independence from France in 1960. The court operates with United Nations support and seats judges from both the Central African Republic and the international community under its hybrid structure.

Bozizé's overthrow in 2013 triggered full civil war. He subsequently organised militias dominated by Christians and animists in a bid to reclaim power, and thousands of civilians were killed in the violence that followed. Both sides in the conflict have been accused of war crimes. The Special Criminal Court was created to pursue accountability across all parties to these years of conflict.

The trial of a former head of state represents a significant test of the Special Criminal Court's mandate and of the in absentia process under which the proceedings are being conducted. While the three co-defendants held in the country remain within domestic judicial reach, Bozizé, based in Guinea-Bissau, does not. The Central African Republic, one of the poorest countries in the world, relies on the UN-backed court as its principal mechanism for prosecuting atrocity crimes committed across the past two decades of conflict.

The International Monetary Fund projects GDP growth of 2.6 percent for the country in 2026 and 3.0 percent in 2027

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