In spite of attempts by the international community and government, insecurity and instability persist in the Central African Republic, CAR.

All is not well with the Central African Republic, CAR. The country is yet to know peace and security since the overthrow on March 24, 2013 of President François Bozizé by the alliance of rebel forces known as Sèléka. New strongman, Michel Djotodia, has since taken over power in a transitional government, but the very troops that swept him to power have turned on the people, laying waste to the country on a daily basis.

The result has been pillaged infrastructure and facilities, tens of thousands of people displaced, the return of common, treatable diseases, famine, generalised insecurity, etc. Reason why the authorities and the international community have been making frantic efforts to save the fast deteriorating situation.

Peacekeeping Forces

The UN Integrated Peace-building Office in the Central African Republic, BINUCA and the European Union/ECCAS-funded FOMAC or MICOPAX sub-regional forces have been trying to keep the peace even before the takeover of President Djotodia. Both Central African sub-regional leaders and the UN have decided to boost the troop levels of BINUCA and MICOPAX. But insecurity continues largely because of the insufficient number of troops needed to impose order, the vast nature of the country, and scale of the problem.

Dissolution Of Sèléka, Disarmament

In a bid to nib the problem in the bud, President Michel Djotodia on September 13, 2013 ordered the immediate dissolution of Sèléka. He followed it up with the launch in the capital, Bangui, of a disarmament programme. Though the programme has recorded some progress, many arms are still believed to be in circulation. This is attested to by the rising number of armed attacks, even in the capital. Elsewhere in the country, strife is on the increase as vigilante groups, former Sèléka fighters and President François Bozizé armed loyalists continue to wreck havoc. The conflict has also left the police and gendarmes almost impotent. As a result, the Head of State on Saturday, November 16, 2013, offered new weapons to security forces, promising immediate deployment to other parts of the country.

Financial Assistance

In order not to abandon the cash-strapped nation, member States of the Central African Economic and Monetary Community, CEMAC, have over the past months offered financial assistance to enable the transitional authorities in Bangui get things going again. But a mix of local rebellions, banditry, ethnic tensions and the spillover of conflicts from neighbouring countries had long undermined efforts to stabilise the landlocked former French colony.

Appeals By Religious Leaders

President Djotodia is understood to be a Moslem just like a good number of the defunct Sèléka forces who are said to be Moslem mercenaries from some neighbouring countries. The arrival of these people on CAR’s already polarised political scene has created additional problems. Bloody clashes between Moslems and Christians have dislocated communities that hitherto lived in peace. So far, the repeated calls by religious leaders for peace and understanding among the different communities appear to have fallen on deaf ears. Those who fled sectarian violence have taken refuge in church yards or mosques.  

LRA Question

To add to CAR’s woes, the Ugandan military and regional armies, assisted by US advisers, had tried to track down Joseph Kony and his men of the Lord’s Resistance Army that took refuge in the country, also despoiling it. With the coming of Michel Djotodia and the instability that has since bedeviled his regime, attention appears to have been tilted to dealing with the chaos occasioned by Sèléka.

Given the gloom security, financial, humanitarian and political situation in CAR, the 18-month transition programme that is expected to end with the organisation of general elections, now seems unlikely. Unless the current precarious security situation is quickly and appropriately addressed.