Central African Republic
Central African Republic "source of concern"

afrol News, 8 January - The current situation in the Central African Republic continues to be a source of concern, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan says in a new report, warning that the presence of an armed rebellion in the northern part of the country, together with the insecurity and depravations suffered by the local populations, are all destabilizing factors that raise tensions and hamper efforts to restore peace.

In his latest report to the UN Security Council on the UN Peace-building Support Office in the Central African Republic (BONUCA), Mr Annan highlights a number of threats to the stability of the country and the subregion, and notes the overall security and military situation in the north has "deteriorated" along with the country's political relations with neighbouring Chad.

According to the report, the gradual easing of tensions that had recently emerged was compromised following an attack on the capital, Bangui, by members of the Bozize opposition group last October. The incident prompted subsequent claims by authorities in the Central African Republic that Chadian nationals who supported that faction were involved in the uprising.

The UN Secretary-General also says that the uncertain prospects of an economic arrangement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank serve to undermine the already tenuous social situation - aggravated in recent weeks by labour stoppages - in the Central African Republic even further. 

- It is in fact because the state has received no budgetary assistance for nearly two years and because it lacks the resources to meet its payroll, that the country's workers had gone on strike after having courageously and responsibly observing a social truce for 18 months, Mr Annan observes. This is the clearest UN critique against the IMF and World Bank so far, after several appeals to provide financial aid to the impoverished Bangui regime. 

In order to prevent the current social tensions from "spinning out of control," Mr Annan therefore again "urgently" called on the IMF and the World Bank to respond positively to the requests of the Central African authorities, and encouraged the institutions to reconsider their suspension of activities in Bangui.

At UN Headquarters in New York, the UN Secretary-General's Representative for the Central African Republic, General Lamine Cissé, who also heads BONUCA, told a press briefing that a top priority for the Office at the beginning of 2003 was to prevent the resumption of generalized conflict.

- There is also a need to stabilize bilateral relations between the Central African Republic and its neighbours, in particular Chad, he said. Violent incidents had recently occurred along the two countries' border, creating new zones of tension for a nation already bogged down by internal problems. In response, BONUCA was working closely with regional institutions such as the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC) and the African Union.

According to General Cissé, the Central African Republic was located in a troubled subregion and was surrounded by countries, which, with the exception of Cameroon, were either in, or emerging from conflict. The Central African Republic was often impacted by those conflicts. Also forces from one of the rebel movements in neighbouring Congo Kinshasa "are currently in the Central African Republic," he added.

- Poverty remained a major challenge for the sustainable stabilization of the Central African Republic, General Cissé commented on Mr Annan plead for IMF and World Bank support. "While the Central African Republic is not a poor country, it has to be better managed to attract and maintain investor confidence and donor support."

General Cissé is scheduled to brief the UN Security Council tomorrow on the Secretary-General's report.

The UNs has played a key role in efforts to stabilize the Central African Republic since 1998, when it deployed a peacekeeping force in that country. Following the withdrawal in February 2000 of the UN Mission in the Central African Republic (MINURCA) at the conclusion of its mandate, BONUCA was set up to consolidate progress made during the peacekeeping phase. BONUCA also is to support national efforts to reinforce national unity and reconciliation and to promote political dialogue.

Sources: Based on UN sources and afrol archives

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