faces opposition from christian militias. among witnesses were officials from the state department and u.s. agency for international development. >> i would like to welcome my partner on the subcommittee, senator jeff flake. i look forward to working with him to promote lasting solutions to this complex crisis. i would like to welcome other members of the committee, as well as our witnesses, linda thomas-greenfield, earl gast,

alexis arieff and elizabeth list. and mark schneider. i am grateful to have recently spoken with central african officials for a firsthand account. i regret that no car leaders could join us, but i would enter into a record a joint statement from the bishop and the reverend, who are pictured here. i would also enter the statements from catholic release services based on recent statements.

car has a long history of instability and conflict and has been the focus of efforts to support peace and stability, sadly with lasting -- little lasting effect in the current crisis is different in terms of its scope. followed by a coup by a loose coalition of rebels, a little more than a façade of a transitional government now exists in c.a.r., and week security forces have disentigrated. opportunists, many from chad and sudan, and seemingly motivated by green, and swelled the ranks of factions from 4000 to nearly 20,000 engaging in horrific violence. in response to horrific attacks, local groups have retaliated, spurring a vicious cycle of murder. more than half a million people have been displaced, and at least half are in need of humanitarian assistance, but many are on -- beyond the reach of health -- help due to insecurity.

we lack reliable data on deaths. civil society groups have provided chilling evidence of entire families slashed to death by perpetrators wielding machetes, babies with gunshot wounds, and villages burned to the ground. compounding the crisis is the growing into religious nature. selected rebels are primarily muslim, but reportedly targeting christians and christians are reportedly targeting muslims. while ethnic divisions are not new, open interreligious attacks are unprecedented. they increase the risk of regional spillover. we look at how partners can engage in stopping the violence, prevent spillover, and start the process of sustainable governance. there are no easy solutions but we cannot stand aside as

innocent civilians are targeted. the decision to impose an arms embargo, create commission to investigate human right violations, was a necessary step. i am interested to hear about what more the united states can do to support multilateral efforts and i look forward to working with the administration. i strongly support ongoing efforts by the administration to increase assistance to contribute in countries and look forward to hear from witnesses, the next ups for the u.s., and support for a proposed peacekeeping operation. i would also like to say thank

susan who has served ably as a brookings state department fellow, and who provided much of the labor for this c.a.r. hearing, who we will greatly miss. i would like to welcome senator flake for his opening statement. >> thank you. i appreciate the testimony we are going to receive. i know you are busy. there's a lot going on, not just in c.a.r., but in the region as well. i appreciate having the assistant secretary, thomas- greenfield, earl gast, and i want to ago what was said about our effort here to prevent spillover in the region and effects that we will deal with for a long time to come. i applaud the united nations for moving expeditiously and for our representation therefore -- there for prodding the action that has been taken, and i look forward to testimony and for all the witnesses in the second panel as well.

>> thank you. i would like to have assisted secretary, thomas-greenfield, i know you have a pressing schedule, so we look forward to your testimony. >> thank you for the opportunity to testify before you on this urgent matter. i very much appreciate your interest in your raising the profile of this issue. i have submitted a full written testimony to the committee, and i would ask that it be entered into the record and i will summarize briefly that testimony here today. we are deeply concerned about the horrific violence across the central african republic, increasingly the sectarian nature of the attacks on the civilians, as you describe. we are working closely with members of the international community to end the violence and restore security. we have publicly condemned selective seizure of power, and this campaign of rape, pillage and killings.

we have warned that individuals responsible for fueling and engaging in violence and human rights violations will be held accountable. the ambassador deliver this message directly to the trasitional president, michel djotodia, on a telephone conversation. a resolution was sponsored, as, establishing an arms embargo, a committee, a panel of experts, a commission of inquiry, and a increasing capacity. we tested council resolution creating an independent expert position for c.a.r. to immediately stem the violence, we supported the authorization of a one-your chapter seven mandate for the african union-led international stabilization force in the central african republic, and for an extended french troop

presence. we believe misca, working closely with french troop resources, provides the most resources for an end to balance we believe it is needed now to violence, we believe it is needed now to confront and disarm the armed groups. to give these forces their best chance of success on the ground, we are providing them strategic airlift, and pre- deployment training. on november 20, secretary kerry announced at the state department would provide $40 million in assistance to troop contributors from existing resources. on december 10, the president delegated authority to direct the drawdown allowed to $60 million for existing department of defense resources to provide immediate military assistance for france, the eu, and countries intervening forces. we have begun utilizing some of

this funding to airlift 850 burundi troops into c.a.r. in an operation that is scheduled to be completed this week. because of the dangerous sectarian tension in c.a.r., we are actively reached out to local radio stations and other media to encourage them to translate messages from christians as well as muslim leaders to urge peace and regulation -- reconciliation. president obama had a message in french and was broadcasted repeatedly. we have heard from people in c.a.r., that they appreciated hearing those messages and we're working hard to respond to the most urgent humanitarian needs. in fy 2013, the u.s. provided more than $24 million in humanitarian assistance with 2.6 million dollars in additional assistance announced in september. we continue to insist that the c.a.r. government abide by the

interim constitution which calls for elections to take place no longer than february, 2015, and specifies that members of the transitional government are not eligible to run. we are deeply concerned that if the transitional president michel djotodia, has taken steps to consolidate his power by inserting fighters into the security forces, and by delaying the appointment of independent experts to the national electoral authority. given that grave situation, and the need to see the situation firsthand, i hope to travel there at some point soon. currently, our special advisor is in c.a.r. senator kuhns, ranking member flake, members of the committee, let me assure you that we remain deeply engaged at the highest level with the situation. we are working closely with our international partners to address the crisis, and we look forward to keeping you and other members of the committee

informed of our activities, and look forward to additional support. i am glad to answer any questions you might have, and, i look forward, again, to briefing you on the situation as we continue to get information. >> thank you very much, and thank you for your personal, engaged leadership on this issue. earl gast? >> chairman coons, and ranking member flake, thank you for the opportunity to be here. i appreciate you drawing attention to the situation in the central african republic and look forward to a continued discussion. we have the map loaded. i would like you -- i would like to draw your attention to this map on the screen, the geography and the frequency of conflict in the c.a.r. senators, i would like to introduce a copy of this map into the formal record. >> without objection.

>> the areas in the northwest have to date experienced the greatest violence are -- and are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance. prior to the most recent attack, aid groups had a limited presence and targeted attacks against humanitarian workers have further limited our response capacity. overcoming the operational constraints in these areas will take a significant amount of time in human and financial resources. this is arguably the worst crisis in the c.a.r.'s history. as of this week, 680,000 central africans have fled their homes, 150,000 more than the u.n. december 9 estimate. moreover, an estimated 500 and 539 persons have been killed in the last two weeks. if unaddressed, this conflict threatens further significant loss of life and continues political instability that threatens to destabilize the entire region, however we have a chance to stop it. the united states has been

playing a critical role in shaping international response to the crisis, and we are ready to lead additional efforts that build our current unitarian platform. since 2011, we are provided more than $60 million in humanitarian assistance to the c.a.r. in 2013, our programs benefited 430,000 central africans in basic nutrition, health, protection, livelihood, water sanitation, hygiene, agricultural assistance, as well as funded, u.n.-let logistics and coordination. our partners also continue to assist those affected in the southeast of the country. due to this scale of underdevelopment, the international community has not been able to meet all humanitarian needs. insecurity hinders full deployment of our teams, and some facilities have been looted or destroyed.

in addition, logistical constraints have really increased the cost of intervention. the widespread violence has dispersed the majority of the population into hard to reach, rural areas. this complex and fluid situation requires creative programming options to reach this dispersed population and we are working with our implementing partners to find a balance between expanding assistance into conflict areas and reducing the risks to humanitarian actors and beneficiaries. we are also examining ways to prevent the emergence of new conflict. if french and the african union peacekeepers are able to improve the security situation, they hope to increase peace building efforts, amplify the peace messages of religious and community leaders, and support radio nations in areas suffering from a lack of communication. in the coming months, the international community will have an enormous role to play in

the transition process, but for now our focus is to reach those in need and save lives. without the international community's urgent and committed intervention, this already alarming crisis threatens to continue its downward spiral, and expand the reach of devastation well beyond the borders of c.a.r. thank you, members of the subcommittee, for facilitating our experience. i welcome any questions you might have. >> thank you, assistant administrator earl gast, and thank you for your long, and effective engagement in relief work in central africa and around the world. let me start. what specific actions can the united states government take next that will help to end the humanitarian suffering, restore some security, and move c.a.r. toward a sustainable path of democratic governance? what are the most important steps we should be taking, madam secretary?

>> the most important steps to take are the steps we're taking right now to address the security issues is without addressing the security issues, we will not be able to move forward on addressing the more important human rights issues, as well as the humanitarian issues that we are all witnessing and horrified by. so, we are working to move as fast as we can to provide airlift and training to the troop-contributing countries, burindi, as i mentioned, we provided that support, we are working with the french, and other countries that have made an offer to contribute troops. once that is done, we can then focus on trying to find a political solution, working to make sure that there is this are

meant -- disarmament as well as finding mechanisms to work with the various authorities to get them to prepare for the election which we hope will take place in 2015. >> thank you. assistant administrator, what is the critical next step? >> security is always first. with security, we will then be able to gain access. i think the u.n. has taken an important step in the last week, and that is announcing that it is upgrading the emergency attention on c.a.r. by declaring it a level three response. at any time the u.n. can only manage three level three crises. c.a.r. would be the third. syria and the philippines being the other two. what that means is they will have an experience person that the assistant secretary general level in c.a.r. to run the humanitarian operations, and it gives them the ability to tap

into emergency response mechanisms, and will also get elevated attention to route the u.n. we fear -- feel this is critical. because the needs are growing, we will need additional resources. we, collectively, need international to support those people you need. >> let's focus on the u.n. role in terms of where he will go insecurity. what are the funding and policy considerations the united states are analyzing and other lessons learned that are relevant and potentially being applied to peacekeeping in c.a.r.? >> i think the most important lesson for us is that we have to act quickly, and it does not matter whether it is the initial

phases of dpko, we think right now, getting this got up and running, building the capacity on the rebound -- building the capacity of the ground is the fastest means of addressing the security concerns. we are focusing our attention on getting the troop-contributing countries on the ground, aching sure they are well-trained, well-equipped, and then -- making sure they are well- trained, well-equipped and getting them outside of the capital area our goal is to stop the fighting. if it is not successful, and we are not able to do it, and we have to move to a dpko, and then upgrade to the number of troops that we have on the ground, but what we have on the ground now is what we have to work with. if we move to a dpko, it would take us months to get it on the ground, so the u.n. has the authority to start the planning, in the meantime we are working

forward on addressing the security issues with misca. >> what, if i might for both of you, two questions -- what are the repercussions for regional spillover in terms of interests? chad in particular appears to be playing a prominent role, but the president's intentions are not clear. suspicion byith many.\ my last question would be what role has the atrocities prevention board played with the u.s. government in terms of elevating the level of focus and priority being paid to the c.a.r. issues, and what does that tell us going forward? >> it is clear that all of the regional neighbors of c.a.r. have some interest, and we do not know exactly what those interests are, and what roles they will be playing. chad, in particular, we understand that a number of select troops came out of chad.

many of them were ex-combatants, not necessarily attached to the government. we believe the president can play a role in monitoring his border and controlling the activities of people crossing the border from chad. again, we have also seen that some of the selected troops came out of the sudan. many of them were some of the ex-darfur rivals. it is really important regional partners play a role in finding solutions. i think both chad as well as congo brazzaville have played a positive role in trying to address the issues as part of n'djamena declarations, you

moving forward on what could be a long-term political solution. >> thank you. assistant administrator, regional interest? >> with regard to spillover effects, we are beginning to see an increase in the number of refugees. those refugees could have a destabilizing effect on other countries and their ability to provide services, even with u.n. support, to the people. so, right now, the number of refugees from c.a.r. is roughly about 70,000, more than half in the drc. with a growing displaced population, the idp's within c.a.r., it could have further destabilizing effect on other countries. you also, senator, asked the question about the atrocities prevention board, perhaps my colleague will say something about that, but it is an

interagency process with 10 or 11 agencies that participate, and it is a very good way of sharing information and collectively coming up with a way of understanding the project, drawing on the strength of various agencies, whether it is analytical or programming. a number of recommendations have come up, and as we are trying to pursue gaining additional resources from some of the contingency funds, we are looking at some very good, sound, peace building efforts at the community level, getting information out in communities to community radio as well as other peacekeeping committees, and that is from the knowledge and wealth of all of the agencies that have participated in the atrocity prevention board. >> thank you, madam secretary? >> if i could and briefly, i think the atrocity prevention board give us the tools to come together as an interagency, and

gave us a lot of direction as we looked at the humanitarian needs, and the situation there. the apb has been particularly focused on developing communication strategies to ensure that messages that relate to interreligious tolerance from the u.s., as well as from voices in c.a.r., as you noted in your video there, and religious leaders are widely disseminated in c.a.r., especially by radio. we have looked at all kinds of mechanisms. we have used text messaging to the extent that that works, and, certainly, the decision to have the president make a statement that is being widely heard in c.a.r. came about as a result of our actions on the atrocities prevention board. >> well, i am glad to hear that

the apb has played a constructive role. in elevating the crisis and finding solutions.