"text":"The former French colony of Ubangi-Shari became the Central African Republic upon independence in 1960. After three tumultuous decades of misrule - mostly by military governments - civilian rule was established in 1993 but lasted only a decade. In March, 2003 President Ange-Felix PATASSE was deposed in a military coup led by General Francois BOZIZE, who established a transitional government. Elections held in 2005 affirmed General BOZIZE as president; he was reelected in 2011 in voting widely viewed as flawed. The government still lacks full control of the countryside, where pockets of lawlessness persist. The militant group, Lord's Resistance Army, continues to destabilize southeastern Central African Republic, and several rebel groups joined together in early December 2012 to launch a series of attacks that left them in control of numerous towns in the northern and central parts of the country. The rebels - unhappy with BOZIZE's government - participated in peace talks in early January 2013 which resulted in a coalition government including the rebellion's leadership. In March 2013, the coalition government dissolved, rebels seized the capital, and President BOZIZE fled the country. Rebel leader Michel DJOTODIA assumed the presidency and the following month established a National Transitional Council (CNT). In January 2014, the CNT elected Catherine SAMBA-PANZA as interim president; new general elections, originally scheduled for October 2015, have now been postponed to at least 2016."
"text":"tap water is not potable; poaching has diminished the country's reputation as one of the last great wildlife refuges; desertification; deforestation"
"text":"landlocked; almost the precise center of Africa"
}
},
"People and Society":{
"Nationality":{
"noun":{
"text":"Central African(s)"
},
"adjective":{
"text":"Central African"
}
},
"Ethnic groups":{
"text":"Baya 33%, Banda 27%, Mandjia 13%, Sara 10%, Mboum 7%, M'Baka 4%, Yakoma 4%, other 2%"
},
"Languages":{
"text":"French (official), Sangho (lingua franca and national language), tribal languages"
},
"Religions":{
"text":"indigenous beliefs 35%, Protestant 25%, Roman Catholic 25%, Muslim 15%",
"note":{
"text":"animistic beliefs and practices strongly influence the Christian majority"
}
},
"Population":{
"text":"5,391,539",
"note":{
"text":"estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2015 est.)"
"text":"several previous; latest ratified by referendum 5 December 2004, effective 27 December 2004; amended 2010; note - the transitional parliament has begun work on a new constitution which should be ready for citizens feedback in early 2015 (2010)"
},
"Legal system":{
"text":"civil law system based on the French model"
},
"International law organization participation":{
"text":"has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction"
},
"Suffrage":{
"text":"18 years of age; universal"
},
"Executive branch":{
"chief of state":{
"text":"Interim President Catherine SAMBA-PANZA (since 23 January 2014)"
},
"head of government":{
"text":"Prime Minister Mahamat KAMOUN (since 10 August 2014); note - Prime Minister Andre NZAPAYEKE replaced Prime Minister Nicolas TIANGAYE on 25 January 2014 and was fired on 5 August 2014; Nicolas TIANGAYE resigned 10 January 2014"
},
"cabinet":{
"text":"Council of Ministers appointed by the president"
"text":"interim president elected by the National Transitional Council on 20 January 2014 and sworn in three days later (planned 18 October 2015 has been postponed)"
"text":"Catherine SAMBA-PANZA elected in second round; SAMBA-PANZA 75 votes from the National Transitional Council, Desire KOLINGBA 53 votes (128 MPs out of 135 voted)"
},
"note":{
"text":"rebel forces seized the capital in March 2013, forcing former President BOZIZE to flee the country; Interim President Michel DJOTODIA assumed the presidency, reinstated the prime minister, and established a National Transitional Council (CNT) in April 2013; the NTC elected Catherine SAMBA-PANZA interim president in January 2014 to serve until February 2015 when new elections were to be held; her term has been extended because instability has delayed new elections"
}
},
"Legislative branch":{
"description":{
"text":"unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (105 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by absolute majority vote with a second round if needed; members serve 5-year terms)"
"text":"percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - KNK 61, Presidential Majority 11, independent 26, other 2; note - information on 5 seats is unavailable"
"text":"Supreme Court (consists of NA judges); Constitutional Court (consists of 9 judges, at least 3 of which are women)"
},
"judge selection and term of office":{
"text":"Supreme Court judges appointed by the president; Constitutional Court judge appointments - 2 by the president, 1 by the speaker of the National Assembly, 2 elected by their peers, 2 are advocates elected by their peers, and 2 are law professors elected by their peers; judges serve 7-year non-renewable terms"
},
"subordinate courts":{
"text":"high courts; magistrates' courts"
}
},
"Political parties and leaders":{
"text":"Alliance for Democracy and Progress or ADP [Clement BELIBANGA] ++ Central African Democratic Rally or RDC [Louis-Pierre GAMBA] ++ Civic Forum or FC ++ Democratic Forum for Modernity or FODEM [Saturnin NDOMBY] ++ Liberal Democratic Party or PLD ++ Londo Association or LONDO ++ Movement for Democracy and Development or MDD ++ Movement for the Liberation of the Central African People or MLPC [Martin ZIGUELE] ++ National Convergence or KNK [Francois BOZIZE] ++ National Unity Party or PUN ++ New Alliance for Progress or NAP [Jean-Jacques DEMAFOUTH] ++ Patriotic Front for Progress or FPP [Alexandre Philippe GOUMBA] ++ People's Union for the Republic or UPR [Pierre Sammy MAKFOY] ++ Social Democratic Party or PSD [Enoch LAKOUE]"
"text":"Ambassador Stanislas MOUSSA-KEMBE (since 24 August 2009)"
},
"chancery":{
"text":"2704 Ontario Road NW, Washington, DC 20009"
},
"telephone":{
"text":"[1] (202) 483-7800"
},
"FAX":{
"text":"[1] (202) 332-9893"
},
"consulate(s) general":{
"text":"Los Angeles"
},
"consulate(s)":{
"text":"New York"
}
},
"Diplomatic representation from the US":{
"chief of mission":{
"text":"Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires David BROWN (since 14 September 2014)"
},
"embassy":{
"text":"Avenue David Dacko, Bangui"
},
"mailing address":{
"text":"B. P. 924, Bangui"
},
"telephone":{
"text":"[236] 21 61 02 00"
},
"FAX":{
"text":"[236] 21 61 44 94"
},
"note":{
"text":"the embassy suspended operations in December, 2012"
}
},
"Flag description":{
"text":"four equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, green, and yellow with a vertical red band in center; a yellow five-pointed star to the hoist side of the blue band; banner combines the Pan-African and French flag colors; red symbolizes the blood spilled in the struggle for independence, blue represents the sky and freedom, white peace and dignity, green hope and faith, and yellow tolerance; the star represents aspiration towards a vibrant future"
},
"National symbol(s)":{
"text":"elephant; national colors: blue, white, green, yellow, red"
},
"National anthem":{
"name":{
"text":"\"Le Renaissance\" (The Renaissance)"
},
"lyrics/music":{
"text":"Barthelemy BOGANDA/Herbert PEPPER"
},
"note":{
"text":"adopted 1960; Barthelemy BOGANDA wrote the anthem's lyrics and was the first prime minister of the autonomous French territory"
}
}
},
"Economy":{
"Economy - overview":{
"text":"Subsistence agriculture, together with forestry and mining, remains the backbone of the economy of the Central African Republic (CAR), with about 60% of the population living in outlying areas. The agricultural sector generates more than half of GDP. Timber and diamonds account for most export earnings, followed by cotton. Important constraints to economic development include the CAR's landlocked position, a poor transportation system, a largely unskilled work force, and a legacy of misdirected macroeconomic policies. Factional fighting between the government and its opponents remains a drag on economic revitalization. Since 2009 the IMF has worked closely with the government to institute reforms that have resulted in some improvement in budget transparency, but other problems remain. The government's additional spending in the run-up to the election in 2011 worsened CAR's fiscal situation. Distribution of income is extraordinarily unequal. Grants from France and the international community can only partially meet humanitarian needs. In 2012, the World Bank approved $125 million in funding for transport infrastructure and regional trade, focused on the route between CAR's capital and the port of Douala in Cameroon. After a two-year lag in donor support, the IMF's first review of CAR's extended credit facility for 2012-15 praised improvements in revenue collection but warned of weak management of spending."
"Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy":{
"text":"435,000 Mt (2012 est.)"
}
},
"Communications":{
"Telephones - fixed lines":{
"total subscriptions":{
"text":"800"
},
"subscriptions per 100 inhabitants":{
"text":"less than 1 (2014 est.)"
}
},
"Telephones - mobile cellular":{
"total":{
"text":"1.5 million"
},
"subscriptions per 100 inhabitants":{
"text":"28 (2014 est.)"
}
},
"Telephone system":{
"general assessment":{
"text":"network consists principally of microwave radio relay and low-capacity, low-powered radiotelephone communication"
},
"domestic":{
"text":"limited telephone service with less than 1 fixed-line connection per 100 persons; spurred by the presence of multiple mobile-cellular service providers, cellular usage is increasing from a low base; most fixed-line and mobile-cellular telephone services are concentrated in Bangui"
"text":"government-owned network, Radiodiffusion Television Centrafricaine, provides domestic TV broadcasting; licenses for 2 private TV stations are pending; state-owned radio network is supplemented by a small number of privately owned broadcast stations as well as a few community radio stations; transmissions of at least 2 international broadcasters are available (2007)"
"text":"2,800 km (the primary navigable river is the Ubangi, which joins the River Congo; it was the traditional route for the export of products because it connected with the Congo-Ocean railway at Brazzaville; because of the warfare on both sides of the River Congo from 1997, importers and exporters preferred routes through Cameroon) (2011)"
},
"Ports and terminals":{
"river port(s)":{
"text":"Bangui (Oubangui); Nola (Sangha)"
}
}
},
"Military":{
"Military branches":{
"text":"Central African Armed Forces (Forces Armees Centrafricaines, FACA): Ground Forces (includes Military Air Service), General Directorate of Gendarmerie Inspection (DGIG), National Police (2011)"
},
"Military service age and obligation":{
"text":"18 years of age for selective military service; 2-year conscript service obligation (2012)"
},
"Manpower available for military service":{
"males age 16-49":{
"text":"1,149,856"
},
"females age 16-49":{
"text":"1,145,897 (2010 est.)"
}
},
"Manpower fit for military service":{
"males age 16-49":{
"text":"655,875"
},
"females age 16-49":{
"text":"661,308 (2010 est.)"
}
},
"Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually":{
"male":{
"text":"54,843"
},
"female":{
"text":"53,999 (2010 est.)"
}
}
},
"Transnational Issues":{
"Disputes - international":{
"text":"periodic skirmishes persist over water and grazing rights among related pastoral populations along the border with southern Sudan"
},
"Refugees and internally displaced persons":{
"refugees (country of origin)":{
"text":"5,342 (Democratic Republic of the Congo) (2015)"
"text":"Central African Republic (CAR) is a source, transit, and destination country for children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking, women subjected to forced prostitution, and adults subjected to forced labor; increased violence and displacement rendered Central Africans more vulnerable to exploitation; the recruitment of child soldiers, at times through force, increased dramatically during the year; most victims appear to be CAR citizens exploited within the country, with a smaller number transported back forth between the CAR and nearby countries; armed groups operating in the CAR, including the Lord’s Resistance Army, continue to recruit and re-recruit children for military activities and labor; children are also forced into domestic servitude, commercial sexual exploitation, agricultural labor, mining, and street vending"
},
"tier rating":{
"text":"Tier 3 - Central African Republic does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so; the government did not investigate or prosecute any suspected cases of human trafficking in 2013, including the use of child soldiers; the government also failed to identify, provide protection to, or refer to service providers any trafficking victims (2014)"
