Special Criminal Court, the Last Hope of Justice for Thousands, On the Brink of Collapse - New Report

Special Criminal Court at risk of closure by 2028 with thousands of victims awaiting justice

Other than the UN and the EU, no state providing financial support to SCC at the moment

ICC closed investigations; National courts lack resources and independence to take on SCC cases

Suspected perpetrators of crimes under international law in the Central African Republic (CAR), including some of the country's highest-ranking officials, are at risk of escaping justice unless the Special Criminal Court (SCC) receives the funding it requires to continue investigating and prosecuting cases, Amnesty International said in a new report.

READ OUR REPORT: "The perpetrators are still here" - The Central African Republic's Special Criminal Court on borrowed time, as victims await justice"The perpetrators are still here" - The Central African Republic's Special Criminal Court on borrowed time, as victims await justice examines the progress and challenges faced by the SCC, which has tried six cases since its inauguration on 22 October 2018, resulting in 19 people being convicted of war crimes and crimes against humanity. However, victims of the most serious crimes committed during some of the bloodiest periods in CAR's history, including during the 2003 coup led by François Bozizé and the 2012-2014 internal armed conflict, are still waiting for all perpetrators in positions of high authority to be prosecuted.

Yet the court, which relies solely on voluntary contributions from states and international organizations, is at risk of closure by 2028. After an initial sense of hope, survivors and victims are beginning to lose faith.

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"Victims' right to justice, truth, and reparations must not depend on the shifting priorities of donors. Thousands of civilians were killed, raped, abducted, maimed, injured, displaced, or had their homes burned down during waves of violence and armed conflict over the last 25 years. Each one of them deserves justice," said Marceau Sivieude, Amnesty International's Regional Director for West and Central Africa.

"Amnesty International calls on the Central African authorities, the United Nations, the European Union, and all partner states to provide - or continue to provide - financial support to the Special Criminal Court to meet its operating budget."

The Special Criminal Court was established at the request of the Central African people and civil society. If the court does not receive the resources it needs to continue its essential work, it will fail them.Marceau Sivieude, Amnesty International's Regional Director for West and Central Africa

'Victims want justice [to be done]'

Of the six cases tried by the SCC, verdicts have been handed down in the first four at least in the first instance, resulting in the conviction of 19 people for war crimes and crimes against humanity. In one case, victims also received reparations. The verdict in the fifth trial relating to attacks in Guen, western CAR, in 2014, is expected next December, while the Bossembélé trial, which lists former president Bozizé among the accused, is currently underway.

Despite the remarkable progress in fighting impunity in the CAR, numerous grave crimes still remain unpunished. These include widespread campaigns of murder, rape, and looting committed in 2002-2003, in particular by security forces of former president Ange-Félix Patassé and fighters from Jean-Pierre Bemba's armed group that he enlisted to try to crush François Bozizé's coup; as well as many crimes of killings, rapes, torture, and enforced disappearances committed between 2012 and 2014, in the context of conflict between Seleka and Anti-balaka armed groups.

Despite a significant improvement in the enforcement of arrest warrants issued by the SCC in the last few years, dozens of individuals are currently still wanted, and significant obstacles to their arrest remain. François Bozizé resides in Guinea-Bissau, while other suspects subject to arrest warrants are in Chad.

The SCC has tried a number of individuals, such as Bozizé, in their absence, but these in absentia trials significantly undermine the process and defence rights, and fall short of victims' needs.

"Victims want justice [to be done]. When their perpetrators are brought to justice their hearts will be at peace, when they see them in prison," said a representative from a Central African organization that supports victims. Other victims said they are satisfied with judgments in absentia.

An unprecedented financial crisis

In 2025, the United States withdrew its financial support for the SCC, leaving it to face an unprecedented funding crisis with more than US$4.15 million in commitments that remain unpaid. The United Nations and the European Union are currently the sole financial contributors to the court.

Funding cuts forced the court to lay off a quarter of its staff, including foreign experts, between August and September 2025. Its witness protection unit has lost more than half of its staff, which has the potential to compromise its ability to limit reprisals against witnesses. Due to the lack of staff and resources, the Office of the Prosecutor can no longer open any new investigations, while cases before the various Chambers suffer delays.

To the best of Amnesty International's knowledge, with the exception of the UN and EU, no state or organization has committed to future voluntary financial contributions to the SCC, raising the prospect of the SCC's closure at the end of its mandate in 2028.

States and international organizations must providing urgent funding, preferably through multi-year commitments, so that justice can be served as long as it is necessary.Marceau Sivieude, Amnesty International's Regional Director for West and Central Africa

No alternative for trying the worst crimes in the CAR

Despite progress, CAR's national courts currently lack the human and material resources, as well as the necessary independence, to handle cases currently before the SCC. "If the cases are transferred to the national courts, it will mean that they will be before our judges, and their superiors will influence them," a representative of victims said.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) also has jurisdiction over war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide committed in the CAR since 2002. It has opened two investigations at the request of the Central African government. However, in December 2022, the ICC Prosecutor's Office announced that it was closing its investigations.

An essential jurisdiction amid persistent conflict

In the CAR, the intensity of the violence has decreased since its peak in 2021, but all parties to the conflict continue to commit serious human rights violations and crimes under international law in the northeast and southeast of the country.

"The SCC was established at the request of the Central African people and civil society. If the court does not receive the resources it needs to continue its essential work, it will fail them and embolden those who continue to commit atrocities today," said Marceau Sivieude.

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"The Central African authorities must support and protect the SCC, and extend its mandate beyond October 2028 until the Court's mission has been accomplished. They must help to secure additional funding for its budget."

"States and international organizations must fully cooperate by executing the SCC's arrest warrants and providing urgent funding, preferably through multi-year commitments, so that justice can be served as long as it is necessary."

Background

This report builds on the research work that Amnesty International has been conducting for a decade on issues of justice, truth and reparation for crimes under international law in the CAR. For this report, the organization conducted a mission in April 2026 to Bangui, the capital, and interviewed 63 people. It also reviewed court decisions, legal texts, reports from international organizations, NGOs and donors, academic works, official statements, and news articles.

The report's findings were shared with the Central African authorities on 6 October 2026. Amnesty International had not received a response at the time of publication.

The SCC has a mandate to investigate and prosecute crimes under international law committed during conflicts in the Central African Republic since 2003. It is a hybrid court supported by the UN, composed of Central African and foreign prosecutors and judges. It began its second five-year term on 22 October 2023, due to end in October 2028.

READ MORE: Long-awaited trial of former president Bozizé for crimes against humanity tarnished by his absence