South Africa after the Central African Republic: Saving the African Agenda

The author examines the fallout from the death of 13 South African soldiers in the Central African Republic (CAR) in March 2013, noting that the mission lacked a multilateral framework and failed to align with domestic public understanding. This 'debacle' created negative feedback loops that could undermine South Africa's continental prestige and its ability to pursue an ambitious Africa policy. To remedy this, the document suggests that South Africa improve its analytical capabilities, build intelligence networks with traditional powers like France, the US, and the UK, and proactively domesticate its foreign policy through democratic scrutiny and accountability.

• The death of 13 South African soldiers on 23 March 2013 in the Central African Republic (CAR) caused significant public incomprehension because the mission was based on a bilateral agreement rather than a multilateral framework under the UN or African Union, and the country lacked immediate strategic importance to South Africa.
• The engagement in CAR created two negative feedback loops: internally, it raised doubts about the government's ability to prioritize domestic needs over foreign policy; externally, the manner in which the presence ended could damage South Africa's prestige and peace operations across Africa.
• To better navigate African security challenges, South Africa should enhance its embassy analytical capabilities and establish intelligence networks with external powers such as France, the United States, and the United Kingdom, moving beyond a Cold War 'anti-imperialist prism'.
• The CAR incident revealed a failure in democratic transparency and institutional accountability, as foreign policy decision-making is not sufficiently localized or subject to democratic scrutiny, leading to public suspicion regarding the intent of military involvements.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2013). South Africa after the Central African Republic: Saving the African Agenda. https://saiia.org.za/research/south-africa-after-the-central-african-republic-saving-the-african-agenda/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. South Africa after the Central African Republic: Saving the African Agenda. 2013. https://saiia.org.za/research/south-africa-after-the-central-african-republic-saving-the-african-agenda/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=South Africa after the Central African Republic: Saving the African Agenda |date=22 April 2013 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/south-africa-after-the-central-african-republic-saving-the-african-agenda/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2013south, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{South Africa after the Central African Republic: Saving the African Agenda}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2013}, month = apr, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/south-africa-after-the-central-african-republic-saving-the-african-agenda/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }