In March 2013, the Seleka rebel alliance captured the capital ousting President François Bozizé. The country has subsequently descended into ethno-religious violence.
In February 2019, the government and fourteen armed groups signed a political agreement for peace and reconciliation and elections were to be held in December 2020. But hopes for the restoration of the democratic process were dashed by the attacks of the Coalition of Patriots for Change, a new rebel coalition, against major towns outside of the capital, Bangui.
In January 2021, President Faustin-Archange Touadera was re-elected, though only about one third of the electorate was able to cast their ballot due to threats posed by armed groups. The government struggles to maintain control of the capital, relying on peacekeepers and other international forces for support. The Central African Republic remains one of the world’s poorest countries. One Central African out of four is internally displaced or sought refuge abroad.
The ITUC affiliates in the Central African Republic are the Confédération Nationale des Travailleurs de Centrafrique (CNCT) and the Confédération Syndicale des Travailleurs de Centrafrique (CSTC).
Central African Republic ratified Convention No. 87 on Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise (1948) in 1960 and Convention No. 98 on the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining (1949) in 1964.