Central African Republic: Former rebel leader Armel Sayo’s arrest a reminder of the urgent need for justice for past crimes

13 May 2025

Reacting to the opened judicial procedure against Armel Sayo, the former leader of the rebel armed group Revolution and Justice (RJ), Marceau Sivieude, Amnesty International's Interim Regional Director for West and Central Africa, said:

"Armel Sayo's arrest should serve as a reminder that the atrocities committed between 2014 and 2019 by the movement Revolution and Justice have yet to be investigated. Victims have long awaited justice.

"Armel Sayo was charged in February 2025 for rebellion, war crimes and crimes against humanity in relation to the activities of the Military Coalition for the Salvation of the People and Recovery created in 2024. We urge courts in the Central African Republic (CAR) to effectively conduct investigations on crimes committed against civilians these past two decades and not only focus on the most recent crimes and/or infractions against the state."

Background

Armel Sayo founded and led the armed group RJ from 2013 to 2019, the year of its disarmament. During this period, the group committed numerous crimes against civilians, particularly in the Paoua area during clashes with rival group National Movement for the Liberation of the Central African Republic in late December 2017.

During the clashes, both groups indiscriminately attacked civilians and burned several villages. According to estimates from humanitarian organisations, at least 60,000 people were forced to flee the area to escape the atrocities.

In 2014, Amnesty International published a report in which it identified the groups responsible for the atrocities committed between 2013 and 2014, including the movement Revolution and Justice.

Armel Sayo has served as a minister on several occasions since 2013 and was involved in the 2019 peace process. In 2024, he founded the armed group Military Coalition for the Salvation of the People and Recovery (CMSPR), opposed to the Central African government.

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