Stressing the urgent and imperative need to end impunity in the CAR and to bring to justice perpetrators of these acts, some of which may amount to crimes under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), to which the CAR is a State party, noting in this regard the opening by the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court on 24 September 2014 of an investigation following the request of the national authorities on alleged crimes committed since 2012 and welcoming the ongoing cooperation by the CAR authorities in this regard,
Stressing the importance of putting in place an effective national judicial system, underlining the need to bolster national accountability mechanisms, including through further implementation of the 7 August 2014 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Urgent Temporary Measures, and the law promulgated in June 2015 to establish a national Special Criminal Court to investigate and prosecute serious crimes committed in the CAR, and recalling the importance of continuous support of the international community to this process pursued by the CAR authorities,
Emphasizing that those engaging in or providing support for acts that undermine the peace, stability or security of the CAR, threaten or impede the political stabilization and reconciliation process, target civilians and attack peacekeepers may meet criteria for designation under sanctions as stated in this resolution,
Expressing concern that illicit trafficking, trade, exploitation and smuggling of natural resources including gold, diamonds and wildlife has a negative impact in the economy and the development of the country, and that it continues to threaten the peace and stability of the CAR,
Taking note of the Kimberley Process (KP) Administrative Decision on Resumption of Exports of Rough Diamonds from the CAR, its annexed Operational Framework, and the work of the KP Monitoring Team for CAR and recognizing the extraordinary efforts of the CAR Authorities and the KP, to responsibly and progressively, through pre-established "compliant zones", reintegrate the CAR into the global diamond trade,
Noting with concern the findings of the Panel of Experts’ final report that the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) remains active in the CAR, has established links to other armed groups and is generating revenues from the exploitation and trade of natural resources, including gold, diamonds and wildlife poaching,
Further noting with concern the ongoing transnational criminal activity in the region, emphasizing the risk of the situation in the CAR providing a conducive environment for further transnational criminal activities, such as those involving arms trafficking and the use of mercenaries as well as a potential breeding ground for radical networks,
Acknowledging in this respect the important contribution the Council mandated arms embargo can make to countering the illicit transfer of arms and related materiel in the CAR and its region, and in supporting post-conflict peacebuilding, DDRR and SSR processes, recalling its resolutions 2117 (2013), 2127 (2013), 2220 (2015) and 2262 (2016) and expressing grave concern at the threat to peace and security in the CAR arising from the illicit transfer, destabilizing
