,,iii #aacth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 ,,res4 #cge ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,march #e1 #bjad ,mr4 ,coons 7for himself and ,mr4 ,flake7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations ,,resolution ,concerning the crisis in the ,central ,african ,republic and supporting ,united ,states and international efforts to end the violence1 protect civilians1 and address root causes of the conflict4 ,whereas1 for more than #ej years1 successive governments in the ,central ,african ,republic have struggled to build a durable system of democratic institutions1 to effectively secure and control the country's territory and borders1 and to ensure a basic level of socio-economic development for the country's people2 ,whereas1 despite its natural resource wealth1 the ,central ,african ,republic remains one of the poorest countries in the world and one of the lowest ranking countries in terms of a human development index according to the ,united ,nations ,development ,program2 ,whereas1 in ,january #bjac1 regional leaders brokered the ,libreville ,agreements between the government of then-,president ,francois ,bozize and the loosely allied rebel militia known as ,slka1 which resulted in the formation of a government of national unity2 ,whereas1 despite the ,libreville ,agreements1 ,president ,bozize was ousted in ,march #bjac by the ,slka coalition1 and the ,slka leader1 ,michel ,djotodia1 declared himself president2 ,whereas1 in ,april #bjac1 regional leaders issued the ,n'djamena ,declaration in an effort to pursue a return to constitutional order based on the ,libreville ,agreements2 ,whereas an influx of foreign fighters1 especially from ,chad and ,sudan1 has been a major factor in the increased number of ,slka fighters1 from approximately #e1jjj in ,march #bjac1 to an estimated #bj1jjj as of ,december #bjac2 ,whereas both ,slka forces and armed militia groups known as anti-balakas1 which formed initially as a means of protecting communities against ,slka1 have been implicated in ethnically-motivated violence and grave and systemic human rights abuses against civilians2 ,whereas1 over the course of the crisis1 ,slka and anti-balaka groups have displayed weak control and command structures1 and committed war crimes with impunity2 ,whereas1 according to ,,unicef1 thousands of child soldiers are involved in armed groups in the ,central ,african ,republic1 amid the near-total collapse of the country's primary education system2 ,whereas interethnic1 intercommunal1 and interreligious tensions and violence have risen to alarming levels and led to systematic human rights abuses in the ,central ,african ,republic1 including targeted killings1 rapes1 acts of torture1 looting1 and arbitrary detention2 ,whereas the ,united ,states ,embassy in ,bangui closed on ,december #be1 #bjab1 and the ordered departure of country team staff has temporarily suspended the diplomatic presence and consular services of the ,united ,states in the ,central ,african ,republic2 ,whereas more than #gjj1jjj civilians have been internally displaced2 another #bcj1jjj have recently sought refuge in neighboring countries1 including the ,democratic ,republic of the ,congo1 ,chad1 ,cameroon1 and ,south ,sudan2 #b1fjj1jjj people1 or over half of the population of the ,central ,african ,republic1 are in need of humanitarian assistance2 and #fj percent of households have no available food stocks2 ,whereas a failure of the international community to appropriately respond to and address the rapidly deteriorating situation in the ,central ,african ,republic could result in further atrocities1 mass displacement1 and protracted instability with significant repercussions for regional and international security2 ,whereas ,united ,nations ,security ,council ,resolution #babg 7#bjac7 called for urgent and increased international assistance to the ,african ,union ,international ,support ,mission in the ,central ,african ,republic 7,,misca7 to ensure that the force can fulfill its mandate to restore security and protect civilians1 and placed an arms embargo on the ,central ,african ,republic2 ,whereas ,united ,nations ,security ,council ,resolution #babg requested the ,secretary-,general to establish an international commission of inquiry to investigate reports of human rights abuses in the ,central ,african ,republic in order to ensure accountability for perpetrators of violence2 ,whereas the ,united ,nations ,integrated ,peacebuilding ,office in the ,central ,african ,republic has been hindered by a lack of resources and constrained by insecurity2 ,whereas1 consistent with ,united ,nations ,security ,council ,resolution #babg1 the ,government of ,france launched a peacekeeping operation1 ,operation ,sangaris1 in the ,central ,african ,republic to assist ,,misca in fulfilling its mandate2 ,whereas1 on ,march #c1 #bjad1 ,united ,nations ,secretary-,general ,ban ,ki-moon recommended to the ,united ,nations ,security ,council a transition to a ,united ,nations peacekeeping mission with a primary mandate to protect civilians2 and ,whereas the ,united ,states ,government is providing support for conflict resolution efforts1 humanitarian assistance to refugees and internally displaced persons1 and assistance to troop contributing countries to ,,misca in order to restore security in the ,central ,african ,republic1 primarily by providing airlift1 non-lethal equipment1 military logistics1 and training1 as well as logistical support for ,france3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,senate-- 7#a7 condemns the violence1 atrocities1 abuses1 and human rights violations committed by all parties to the conflict in the ,central ,african ,republic2 7#b7 commends the efforts of religious and community leaders in the ,central ,african ,republic condemning violence and engaging in conflict prevention and conflict resolution activities2 7#c7 welcomes the mobilization of international peacekeeping1 conflict mitigation1 humanitarian1 and diplomatic resources1 and encourages continued efforts to help address humanitarian needs1 bring an end to the violence1 and develop sustainable democratic institutions in the ,central ,african ,republic2 7#d7 welcomes the ,january #bjad decision of the ,transitional ,national ,council on the election of ,catherine ,samba-,panza as the ,central ,african ,republic's new transitional president2 7#e7 commends the ,african ,union and its troop and police contributing countries for their work establishing and supporting ,,misca2 7#f7 recognizes the ,economic ,community of ,central ,african ,states 7,,ceeas7 for its leadership in the political transition process2 7#g7 commends ,france for its swift intervention under ,united ,nations ,security ,council ,resolution #babg1 and for its contributions to stabilization efforts and other forms of assistance2 7#h7 welcomes the ,united ,nations ,security ,council support for ,,misca and the ,department of ,peacekeeping ,operation's ongoing contingency planning for a possible transition to a ,united ,nations peacekeeping operation2 7#i7 affirms support for multilateral peacekeeping and policing capacities and recognizes the important contributions these efforts have made in protecting civilians in the ,central ,african ,republic and promoting international peace and stability2 7#aj7 calls on the ,president to work with international partners to develop a short-term strategy to support a full and immediate cessation of armed conflict in the ,central ,african ,republic1 including attacks targeting civilians and the recruitment of child soldiers2 7#aa7 calls on the ,president to develop a long-term ,united ,states strategy1 in support of international and domestic efforts1 to establish a durable peace and greater security for the ,central ,african ,republic and to enhance regional stability1 including-- 7,a7 engagement and coordination with the international community1 including the ,african ,union1 the ,economic ,community of ,central ,african ,states1 the ,united ,nations1 and other partners2 7,b7 appropriate assistance to help provide emergency relief and reconciliation for the people of the ,central ,african ,republic2 7,c7 technical1 logistical and other forms of assistance1 as appropriate1 in support of effective disarmament1 demobilization1 and reintegration of fighters2 and 7,d7 support for appropriate mechanisms to ensure accountability for perpetrators of human rights abuses and violence2 and 7#ab7 urges the ,secretary of ,state to consider the expeditious reestablishment of a ,united ,states diplomatic presence in the ,central ,african ,republic4