On December 21, 2021 the United Nations Security Committee, established pursuant to resolution 2127 concerning the Central African Republic, added Ali Darassa to its Sanctions List. Darassa, the founder and leader of Unité pour la Paix en Centrafique (UPC), a militia group based in the Central African Republic (CAR), was sanctioned for committing human rights abuses that include the killing, torture and rape of displaced civilians since the group’s formation in 2014. More recently in December 2020, the UN reports that Darassa also facilitated the creation of the Coalistondes patriotes pour le changement (CPC), a group that used arms to oppose the elections and attempted to enter the capital Bangui in violation of an agreement signed by the UPC in 2019.
On December 22, 2021, the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office also added Darassa to the UK Sanctions List pursuant to Central African Republic (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 (SI 2020/616) that imposes asset freezes upon those who engage in acts that undermine the peace, stability or security of the CAR.
Late last week, the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control designated Darassa for engaging in serious human rights abuses pursuant to EO 13667 on December 17, 2021. EO 13667 authorizes US sanctions for persons contributing to the conflict in CAR, including those engaged in serious abuse or human rights violations in CAR, or threaten the peace, security or stability of the CAR.
UN Press Release | UK Sanctions Press Release | OFSI Financial Sanctions Notice | UK’s Consolidated CAR Sanctions List