Dr Peter Sakwe Masumbe, Senior Lecturer in Public Policy and International Relations, University of Buea, revists Central African Republic's intractable peace talks.

How would you analyse recent resurgence of violence in the Central African Republic, which led to the killing of some UN peacekeepers?

First, it should be noted that only fragile and superficial attempts at bringing peace and security in CAR have so far been embarked upon, irrespective of the glowing presence of the MINUSCA peacekeeping teams therein. For anyone to think that they have so far brought or are about to bring peace and security into CAR, given the presence of UN peacekeepers or the reconciliation conference held sometimes in Brazzaville, is a sheer farce.

At the beginning of the Brazzaville Conference, one of the aggrieved parties, the Seleka, (now supposedly defunct), vehemently sidetracked, warning that it will not be committed to the resolutions because of what it rightly or wrongly called skewed representation and unfulfilled conditions for its take-off, especially the conference’s location.

Peace and security cannot be imposed on a people; it must have an autochthonous inspiration for the people concerned to enjoy their diversity in unity. Any peace and or security imposed from outside as it appears to be the case in CAR, only attracts waste of resources, which in turn provides time, space and materials for the belligerent groups to amass enough strength to fiercely re-launch themselves into violence. Let the people of CAR sit and talk to themselves about peace and security inside their own country, with perhaps very minimal assistance from outsiders.

Transitional President Catherine Samba-Panza has embarked on dialogue with various actors of the country’s socio-cultural and political life. What do you think is responsible for the failure of previous dialogue, reconciliation and peace efforts?

Politics and dialogue are the basis or entry-point for attracting opposing actors. But dialogue, if inappropriately applied, can be misrepresented to produce negative effects. Thus, it is not enough for Catherine Samba-Panza to truncate nationally-dissipating energies in order to dialogue with various actors in the country’s socio-cultural and political landscape. Her truncating does not appear to represent a much fanciful and wider option for garnering peace and security in a country such as CAR, which has been infected by cankerous and multifaceted belligerents, basking in the fake glory of cheap mineral resources.

What Samba-Panza and of-course, anybody who really wants to see the emergence of lasting peace and security in CAR must do, is to carefully and tactfully bring together all the warring parties into a well-organised national reconciliation forum inside the CAR. This forum must necessarily comprise stakeholders from diverse socio-cultural segments of the society.

Such an inclusive and pluralist platform must of necessity be responsive enough to accommodate even those citizens of CAR who are in exile, no matter their duration outside the country.Those inside the country, religious interests, the military, women groups, farmers, traders, youth movements, socio-cultural organisations, rural and urban dwellers and true foreign allies, who would freely participate, but not in any way impose anything upon the ensuing deliberations.

What is the way out of the recent wave of clashes and for subsequent reconciliation in the Central Africa Republic?

The best avenue for ensuring the absence of clashes and to bring about true reconciliation is to create sustainable confidence amongst the various segments of the CAR society. Panza should ensure that every CAR citizen has a right to live and decently too. With dexterity and great measure of patience from the population, let her substantially and innovatively face the economic and political fronts simultaneously. This should be the primary task, pre-occupation and message of Catherine Samba-Panza to the people of CAR. Indeed, the problem in obtaining peace in CAR today hinges on creating extensive confidence building measures amongst the people.

The indigenous people of CAR, the international community and particularly Interim President Catherine Samba-Panza, must engage in a sincere campaign to create deep confidence amongst the people through organizing a broad-based national conference. This should hold inside CAR and directed to its conclusive end by the people of CAR themselves – a conference backed by feasible economic recovery policies. Outsiders should be ardent observers and not impose the pace and type of peace or security the people of CAR should live with.

All shades of political, economic, social and cultural opinions must be brought aboard to achieve a strong and reliable politico-economic society in CAR. President Catherine Samba-Panza must amply demonstrate a high and dependable degree of patriotism, political acumen, professionalism and courage, essentially devoid of nepotism and tribal influences.