Religious Freedom Backslides in Central African Republic

USCIRF began monitoring religious freedom conditions in Central African Republic (CAR) in 2013 when the country descended into civil conflict. After seven years of recommending that CAR be designated a country of particular concern, in 2020 USCIRF recommended CAR for Special Watchlist status due to improvements in the situation on the ground—and the next year, in 2021, we no longer recommended CAR for even the Special Watchlist. However, religious freedom conditions in CAR deteriorated in 2021, especially for Muslim minorities, causing USCIRF to return CAR to the list of countries it recommends for Special Watchlist status.John Lechner, an expert in geopolitics and human rights in Africa who recently returned from CAR, joins us today to discuss religious freedom conditions in the country.With Contributions from: Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRFJohn Lechner, Expert on security, geopolitics, and human rights in AfricaGabrielle Hasenstab, Communications Specialist, USCIRF