Central Bank gives banks deadline to disclose CAR accounts

Central Bank of Kenya has given lenders 10 days to inform the regulator if former Central Africa Republic (CAR) president Francois Bozize and two rebel leaders hold accounts with them.

This follows travel and financial sanctions issued against the three by United Nations over their role in fuelling violence in the conflict-torn CAR.

The other is Levy Yatike, who is the political coordinator of anti-Balaka, a Christian militia fighting Muslim militias who briefly held power in Bangui.

Another one is Nourredine Adam, leader of Seleka, a largely Muslim rebel group that overthrew the government of Mr Bozize in March last year.

“This circular is issued with the purpose of requiring institutions to confirm if any of the sanctioned individuals have a business relationship with them by September 15,” reads a memo sent out to bank executives signed by Matu Mugo, the assistant director banking supervision.

Violence in the Central African Republic has seen more than 2,000 massacred and hundreds of thousands displaced.

In a circular issued in April, CBK had told banks to freeze assets belonging to individuals and firms behind the CAR violence but did not specify their names.

READ: CBK orders financial institutions to freeze Bangui assets

The UN has previously listed people and entities for asset freezes as punishment for major crimes such as genocide.

CAR is a mineral rich country but one of the poorest in the world. It has vast gold and diamond deposits that have partly driven the conflict.
Violence in CAR broke out in December 2012 leading to the ouster of Mr Bozize in March, 2013 by Muslim Seleka rebels.

The country, however, slipped further into violence with the rebels unleashing terror on civilians which transformed the conflict to a religious war pitting Seleka militia against the anti-Balaka (machete). Machete was Seleka’s main weapon of choice.

Mr Bozize has been accused of providing financial and material support to the anti-Balaka militiamen working to undermine peace and bring him back to power.

Mr Yatike is said to have ordered the arrest of people connected to Seleka, called for attacks on those opposing Mr Bozize and recruited young militiamen to mete violence on opponents.

Mr Adam is reported to have been the military coordinator of Seleka’s offensive and without his involvement the rebels would not have successfully ousted Mr Bozize.

Despite the order informed by a UN global decree, it is not clear whether the leaders have any local accounts here.