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The “fragile” political and security situation in the Central African Republic is slowly improving following the Bangui Forum on National Reconciliation in May, the top United Nations official in that country told the Security Council in August, warning that support was needed from the international community to sustain this positive momentum.
“The Central African Republic is at a crossroads,” said Babacar Gaye, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), as he briefed the 15-member body. With presidential elections upcoming, the next steps would be difficult, as they required strong leadership, reconciliation on the part of the population, and support on the part of donors.
The Central African Republic has been in a state of conflict for the past decade and a half, originating in the Central African Republic Bush War, and most recently with the Central African Republic conflict. Two years ago, the predominantly Muslim Séléka rebel group overthrew the government of President François Bozizé, igniting waves of intercommunal violence between the country’s Muslim minority and the Christian anti-Balaka population. While the election of Catherine Samba-Panza has been heralded as an important first step in peace in the fractured country, the Central African Republic is still working to end the seemingly never-ending cycles of violence and reunite the country.
In many towns around the country, civilians still suffered from human rights violations at the hands of armed groups, and attacks had been targeted at MINUSCA peacekeepers, explained Gaye. In the central sector, factions of the ex-Séléka and anti-Balaka forces continued to clash, contributing to threats against civilians. In addition, in the south, the Lord's Resistance Army continued to operate, extorting food and other means for survival.
“Security is gradually improving in Bangui, where signs of normal life lend a sense of confidence and gradual returns from the airport [internally displaced persons] camp to other areas of the city indicate a positive, but fragile, trend,” said Gaye. Nevertheless, the humanitarian situation remained a concern, with more than 2.7 million people requiring assistance, some 450,000 refugees and close to 400,000 citizens displaced inside the country. Only 30 percent of the humanitarian appeal had been funded, he said, urging Member States to respond positively to that request.
At the political level, he said, the main success of the Bangui Forum was the spirit of dialogue, inclusivity, and the sense that the good of the country had prevailed. Against that backdrop, the recent vote of the National Transition Council to deprive refugees of their right to vote represented an alarming step backward and a reminder that more effort should be focused on reconciliation.
The Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), a major transnational force in the region, has supported the extension of the Central African Republic's political transition until the end of 2015. Authorities had also announced the electoral calendar, including a constitutional referendum on October 4, a first round of presidential elections on October 18, and a second round on October 22. Although the electoral budget had been reduced by 18 percent, an $11 million funding gap remained. Gaye called on donors to make additional commitments to that critical element of the peace process.
Abderrazzak Laassel of Morocco, speaking on behalf of the President of the Central African Republic Configuration of the Peacebuilding Commission, said the current period was critical for the country's future. All interlocutors had expressed their desire to “move on” and were aware of the opportunity afforded to them by international support.
“It is time to silence the guns forever,” he said, and intensify efforts to build a strong, stable State, with institutions capable of meeting people's basic needs. In that context, he welcomed the launch of the electoral process and redeployment of State authority. The Bangui Forum also had been a crucial step in the political transition and he urged all active forces to show “absolute” commitment towards reconciliation and peace.
As the country prepared to vote in a constitutional referendum and in national elections, he said, all political actors and civil society must ensure that deadlines were met in a free, transparent and inclusive manner, as well as in a secure environment. Indeed, those conditions were a sine qua non for credibility and legitimacy, and all political actors should respect the Transitional Charter in that regard.
Going forward, Laassel said it was time to identify ways to support the new authorities in a country where half the population still depended on international aid. Following the transition, the configuration was committed to supporting the new national authorities in implementing a peace strategy in the medium and long term. Before that, it was imperative that preliminary steps were completed. In New York, the President of the Configuration had begun an awareness campaign, mainly about the deficit and budget for the elections, for which he said nearly $10 million was needed.
On the one hand, the positive news from the landmark Bangui Forum reflect the desire of Central Africans to move past the conflict and build a more peaceful, democratic society; on the other hand, as noted by Interim President Catherine Samba-Panza, the Central African Republic has a history of holding national debates on peace and reconciliation—five since 1980—and then descending again into crisis. Even on forum’s last day, disorder broke out as some members of the anti-balaka expressed their dissatisfaction with the forum’s final recommendations by walking out during the closing ceremony. Two hundred to 300 anti-balaka and Séléka protesters gathered outside the forum to voice frustrations over the fact that several of their members have been put under house arrest and will face criminal trials for crimes that they committed during the conflict. As the ceremony ended, shots sounded in the street, demonstrating the fragile security situation the country still faces.
Yet, unlike past national hearings on peace and reconciliation—in which political elites assembled to make decisions of national import on behalf of the entire country—this forum relied heavily on grassroots consultations and the inclusion of citizens’ voices, especially those most affected by the conflict. With strong participation from affected populations, it is now up to the transitional government and its international supporters to muster the political will to carry out the aspirations of the Central African people.
Kid in the Central African Republic. Photo by Pierre Holts | UNICEF.
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The views presented in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent the views of any other organization.
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Seeking Sustainable Reconciliation in the Central African Republic
August 25, 2015
The “fragile” political and security situation in the Central African Republic is slowly improving following the Bangui Forum on National Reconciliation in May, the top United Nations official in that country told the Security Council in August, warning that support was needed from the international community to sustain this positive momentum.
“The Central African Republic is at a crossroads,” said Babacar Gaye, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), as he briefed the 15-member body. With presidential elections upcoming, the next steps would be difficult, as they required strong leadership, reconciliation on the part of the population, and support on the part of donors.
The Central African Republic has been in a state of conflict for the past decade and a half, originating in the Central African Republic Bush War, and most recently with the Central African Republic conflict. Two years ago, the predominantly Muslim Séléka rebel group overthrew the government of President François Bozizé, igniting waves of intercommunal violence between the country’s Muslim minority and the Christian anti-Balaka population. While the election of Catherine Samba-Panza has been heralded as an important first step in peace in the fractured country, the Central African Republic is still working to end the seemingly never-ending cycles of violence and reunite the country.
In many towns around the country, civilians still suffered from human rights violations at the hands of armed groups, and attacks had been targeted at MINUSCA peacekeepers, explained Gaye. In the central sector, factions of the ex-Séléka and anti-Balaka forces continued to clash, contributing to threats against civilians. In addition, in the south, the Lord's Resistance Army continued to operate, extorting food and other means for survival.
“Security is gradually improving in Bangui, where signs of normal life lend a sense of confidence and gradual returns from the airport [internally displaced persons] camp to other areas of the city indicate a positive, but fragile, trend,” said Gaye. Nevertheless, the humanitarian situation remained a concern, with more than 2.7 million people requiring assistance, some 450,000 refugees and close to 400,000 citizens displaced inside the country. Only 30 percent of the humanitarian appeal had been funded, he said, urging Member States to respond positively to that request.
At the political level, he said, the main success of the Bangui Forum was the spirit of dialogue, inclusivity, and the sense that the good of the country had prevailed. Against that backdrop, the recent vote of the National Transition Council to deprive refugees of their right to vote represented an alarming step backward and a reminder that more effort should be focused on reconciliation.
The Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), a major transnational force in the region, has supported the extension of the Central African Republic's political transition until the end of 2015. Authorities had also announced the electoral calendar, including a constitutional referendum on October 4, a first round of presidential elections on October 18, and a second round on October 22. Although the electoral budget had been reduced by 18 percent, an $11 million funding gap remained. Gaye called on donors to make additional commitments to that critical element of the peace process.
Abderrazzak Laassel of Morocco, speaking on behalf of the President of the Central African Republic Configuration of the Peacebuilding Commission, said the current period was critical for the country's future. All interlocutors had expressed their desire to “move on” and were aware of the opportunity afforded to them by international support.
“It is time to silence the guns forever,” he said, and intensify efforts to build a strong, stable State, with institutions capable of meeting people's basic needs. In that context, he welcomed the launch of the electoral process and redeployment of State authority. The Bangui Forum also had been a crucial step in the political transition and he urged all active forces to show “absolute” commitment towards reconciliation and peace.
As the country prepared to vote in a constitutional referendum and in national elections, he said, all political actors and civil society must ensure that deadlines were met in a free, transparent and inclusive manner, as well as in a secure environment. Indeed, those conditions were a sine qua non for credibility and legitimacy, and all political actors should respect the Transitional Charter in that regard.
Going forward, Laassel said it was time to identify ways to support the new authorities in a country where half the population still depended on international aid. Following the transition, the configuration was committed to supporting the new national authorities in implementing a peace strategy in the medium and long term. Before that, it was imperative that preliminary steps were completed. In New York, the President of the Configuration had begun an awareness campaign, mainly about the deficit and budget for the elections, for which he said nearly $10 million was needed.
On the one hand, the positive news from the landmark Bangui Forum reflect the desire of Central Africans to move past the conflict and build a more peaceful, democratic society; on the other hand, as noted by Interim President Catherine Samba-Panza, the Central African Republic has a history of holding national debates on peace and reconciliation—five since 1980—and then descending again into crisis. Even on forum’s last day, disorder broke out as some members of the anti-balaka expressed their dissatisfaction with the forum’s final recommendations by walking out during the closing ceremony. Two hundred to 300 anti-balaka and Séléka protesters gathered outside the forum to voice frustrations over the fact that several of their members have been put under house arrest and will face criminal trials for crimes that they committed during the conflict. As the ceremony ended, shots sounded in the street, demonstrating the fragile security situation the country still faces.
Yet, unlike past national hearings on peace and reconciliation—in which political elites assembled to make decisions of national import on behalf of the entire country—this forum relied heavily on grassroots consultations and the inclusion of citizens’ voices, especially those most affected by the conflict. With strong participation from affected populations, it is now up to the transitional government and its international supporters to muster the political will to carry out the aspirations of the Central African people.
Kid in the Central African Republic. Photo by Pierre Holts | UNICEF.
Creative Commons License.
The views presented in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent the views of any other organization.
