Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the (a) security and (b) political situation in the Central Africa Republic.

The security situation in the Central African Republic (CAR) is grave. Outside the capital Bangui, violence, looting, hostage-taking and human rights abuses continue to occur with relative impunity. The security situation in Bangui is more stable than the rest of the country, having improved following the surge in violence in late September, but tensions still run high and we continue to advise against all travel to CAR. The political situation is precarious. The transitional government, led by President Catherine Samba-Panza, is being undermined by actors from armed groups and dates for elections have been moved a number of times in the last months. The first round is currently planned for late December 2015, with additional rounds planned for January 2016. Great efforts have been made to register all CAR citizens both in CAR and in refugee camps in neighbouring countries. We expect a deterioration in the political situation, in parallel with the security situation, in the lead up to these elections.