CAR War Crimes Court at Risk as Funding Dries Up, Amnesty Warns
By News

The Central African Republic’s Special Criminal Court (SCC), a hybrid tribunal set up to try war crimes and crimes against humanity committed since 2003, could close before its work is finished unless donors step in, Amnesty International warned in a report published on 27 October 2026. The court has convicted 19 people since it was inaugurated, but Amnesty says funding shortfalls have already forced staff cuts, weakened witness protection and halted new investigations. The case is a clear example of how shifts in donor funding are reaching beyond humanitarian aid into justice, accountability and rule-of-law programming.

Background: a court built on voluntary funding

The SCC was inaugurated on 22 October 2018 and brings together Central African and international judges and prosecutors, with support from the United Nations. Its second five-year term began on 22 October 2023 and its mandate runs until October 2028. According to Amnesty, the court has tried six cases to date, resulting in 19 convictions for war crimes and crimes against humanity. In one case victims also received reparations.

The court depends entirely on voluntary contributions from states and international organisations. Amnesty’s report, titled “The perpetrators are still here”, states that the United States withdrew its financial support in 2025, leaving more than USD 4.15 million in commitments unpaid. The UN and the European Union are now the only financial contributors, and Amnesty says it is not aware of any other state or organisation that has committed to future funding. Earlier this year, New African magazine reported that the US had been the court’s second-largest donor after the UN, and that the UN, facing its own liquidity crisis, could not guarantee its planned 2026 contributions.

Impact on the court and on victims

Amnesty reports that between August and September 2025 the court laid off a quarter of its staff, including foreign experts. Its witness protection unit lost more than half of its personnel, which Amnesty says could weaken protection against reprisals, and the Office of the Prosecutor can no longer open new investigations. New African reported in February that the number of judicial police teams had fallen from four to one.

Major cases remain open. A verdict in the fifth trial, concerning attacks in Guen in western CAR in 2014, is expected in December 2026, and the Bossembélé trial, in which former president François Bozizé is among the accused, is under way. Dozens of people remain subject to SCC arrest warrants; Amnesty notes that Mr Bozizé lives in Guinea-Bissau and that other suspects are in Chad. Amnesty also expressed concern about trials held in absentia, which it says undermine due process and fall short of victims’ needs.

“Victims’ right to justice, truth, and reparations must not depend on the shifting priorities of donors,” said Marceau Sivieude, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for West and Central Africa. He added that the court “was established at the request of the Central African people and civil society”. Amnesty’s research included a mission to Bangui in April 2026, during which it interviewed 63 people. It shared its findings with the Central African authorities on 6 October 2026 and had received no response by the time of publication.

Amnesty argues that national courts currently lack the resources and independence to take on the SCC’s caseload, and notes that the International Criminal Court’s Prosecutor announced the closure of its CAR investigations in December 2022. It is calling on the Central African authorities, the UN, the EU and partner states to provide multi-year funding, execute arrest warrants and extend the court’s mandate beyond October 2028 until its work is complete.

What it means for the sector

For civil society organisations in CAR that support survivors, the court’s future affects legal aid, psychosocial support and victim participation work that is often built around its proceedings. One victims’ representative quoted by New African said that financial partners “no longer meet our needs”. More broadly, the situation illustrates how cuts by a single major donor can destabilise institutions that rely on a small pool of voluntary funders, a risk many transitional justice and governance programmes across Africa now face.

What this means for NGO job seekers

Justice and human rights roles are a smaller but important part of the NGO job market, and they are sensitive to funding changes. Points to consider:

  • Skills in demand, international criminal and humanitarian law, victim and witness protection, case documentation, psychosocial support, and advocacy. French is essential for most roles in CAR.
  • Roles likely to be affected, posts tied directly to the court and to donor-funded justice projects may face uncertainty, while advocacy, monitoring and survivor-support positions with NGOs and UN agencies may continue where funding is diversified.
  • Practical advice, check the funding source and contract length of any role, build transferable skills such as data protection, safeguarding and grant writing, and consider adjacent fields like protection and GBV programming, which share many competencies.

Browse current vacancies on our NGO jobs in Central African Republic page, compare opportunities in other countries via NGO jobs by country, search everything on Browse Jobs, and find CV and interview guidance in our career resources.

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