Source: Amnesty International –
- Court’s closure would fail victims & survivors and represent “a catastrophic setback” in country’s fight against impunity
- Court staff already reduced by 25%
The Special Criminal Court (SCC) of the Central African Republic is at serious risk of closure in 2026, potentially depriving thousands of victims and survivors of war crimes and crimes against humanity of justice and reparations, Amnesty International said today. The organization is calling on states to make urgent financial contributions to the court to ensure its crucial operations can continue.
The Special Criminal Court is doing essential work, with 15 investigations and three trials ongoing.
Marceau Sivieude, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for West and Central Africa
The SCC, which relies solely on voluntary contributions from states and international organizations, has endured massive budget cuts over the past year. Without additional funding, the court, which has a mandate to investigate and prosecute crimes under international law committed during conflicts in the Central African Republic, will run out of money in June.
“Thousands of Central African civilians were killed, raped, abducted, maimed, injured, displaced, or had their homes burned down during waves of violence and armed conflict since 2003. For these victims and survivors, the SCC represents a hope for justice, which is now compromised. The court is doing essential work, with 15 investigations and three trials ongoing, and over 30 persons currently wanted. Its closure would be a catastrophic setback in the fight against impunity in the Central African Republic. It must continue its work,” said Marceau Sivieude, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for West and Central Africa.
“Victims are excluded from their own trials, as the court no longer has the means to cover their transportation and accommodation costs. The possibility of cases being frozen or simply abandoned is no longer a hypothesis, it is a founded fear. Victims fear that justice will be extinguished due to lack of resources,” said a member of a local survivors’ association.
“The decline in funding has a significant impact. Financial partners are no longer responding to our needs, yet those partners are essential. This affects those most directly concerned, namely the victims who are seeking justice,” said the representative of another survivors’ association.