Media Stakeout on the Central African Republic
President of the UN Security Council (Kenya's presidency month) / Permanent Representative of Kenya to the United Nations
Excerpt — full text pending verified sourcing
As President of the Security Council for October 2021, Kimani opened with the Council's agreed elements on the Central African Republic following a briefing by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General: welcoming President Touadéra's October 15 ceasefire announcement — which followed a September 16 communique from the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) in Luanda — as the "only viable path" to stability, while noting concern that some signatories continued to ignore their commitments. The Council called on CAR authorities to hold accountable those responsible for human rights abuses, "condemned in the strongest terms" attacks and incitement against the MINUSCA peacekeeping mission, and reiterated MINUSCA's role monitoring the ceasefire and supporting the peace process.
He then gave the Council's "sweep of the week," including an open debate on the Middle East and Palestine chaired by Kenya's Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Macharia Kamau, a Great Lakes region debate chaired by Kenya's Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs Raychelle Omamo, the annual Women, Peace and Security open debate elevated to ministerial level on October 21 (which he described as a "milestone" for non-member state participation), and a planned Council trip to Mali and Niger from October 22-26.
In the press Q&A that followed, he declined to detail plans for a meeting with Mali's president amid rumors of reluctance on the Malian side. Asked about reported Ethiopian airstrikes in Mekelle, he explicitly switched to answering "in his national capacity" for Kenya, saying Kenya remained concerned about the violence in Tigray but had no verified confirmation of the airstrikes, and would await accurate information before considering options for the Council and the A3+1. Asked about CAR's continued use of Russian Wagner Group mercenaries alongside the ceasefire, he again answered in his national capacity, sidestepping the direct question and instead emphasizing the ICGLR's and Angolan President João Lourenço's role in bringing parties to the table, and warning the Council would "all lose" if it failed to work alongside the African Union and regional organizations.