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Central African Republic agrees to a peace deal

February 5, 2019 | Expert Insights

A peace deal between the government of the Central African Republic (CAR) and 14 rebel groups has been struck after talks in Sudan, officials say.

Background 

The Central African Republic, which got independence from France in 1960, has always been plagued by violence. The francophone country with 4.6 million people has been ravaged by conflict since its independence, having been governed by warlords, autocratic rulers and even a would-be monarchy.

Despite its significant mineral deposits and other resources, such as uranium , crude oil, gold, diamonds, cobalt, lumber, and hydropower, as well as significant quantities of arable land, the Central African Republic is among the ten poorest countries in the world, with the lowest GDP per capita at purchasing power parity  as of 2017.

On 19th June 2017, the government of Central African Republic (CAR) signed a peace agreement in Rome with 13 of the 14 armed groups to end the ongoing violent conflict. However, violence has persisted. The current President Faustin-Archange Touadera has been unsuccessful in taking control of the whole region.

Séléka is an alliance of rebel militia groups that subjugated the Central African Republic (CAR) on March 24, 2013. After its official dissolution in September 2013, the remaining rebel groups became known as Ex-Seleka. Séléka leader Michel Djotodia became the nation's president from March 2013 until his resignation in January 2014.

About 13,000 United Nations peacekeepers are deployed in the country at a cost of nearly $900m (£688m) per year.

Analysis 

The deal was announced by the UN mission in CAR, known as Minusca, and the African Union (AU), which both sponsored the talks in Khartoum. "This is a great day for Central African Republic and all its people," said AU commissioner Smail Chergui. The government said the peace deal would be signed in Bangui soon.

Details of the agreement have not been released and analysts caution that previous peace deals have all collapsed. CAR, which has been unstable since gaining independence from France in 1960, was plunged into turmoil in 2013 when Muslim rebels from the Seleka umbrella group seized power in the majority-Christian country.

A band of mostly Christian militias, called the anti-Balaka, rose up to counter the Seleka. Thousands have been killed in the violence and more than one million internally displaced. An estimated 570,000 people have fled abroad.

"We have finalised a peace agreement in Khartoum, enabling the people of Central African Republic to embark on a path of reconciliation, agreement and development," Mr. Chergui tweeted. The government of President Faustin-Archange Touadera also confirmed the agreement on Twitter. "This agreement should be initialled tomorrow (Sunday) and its signing will take place in Bangui in a few days," the tweet added.

A spokesman for the FPRC armed faction said consensus had been reached on sticking points which included an amnesty for militia fighters and an inclusive government. "We were able to agree on what is essential for the Central African Republic - peace. We hope this agreement will bring back social cohesion to the country," Abakar Sabom said.

The UN Security Council agreed to a possible easing of an arms embargo on CAR, to allow weapons supplies for government forces fighting the militias, who control much of the country.

A UN sanctions committee has already granted several exemptions to allow shipments of weapons to the poorly equipped army. The UN arms embargo was imposed in 2013 when the country descended into bloodletting after President Francois Bozize, a Christian, was overthrown by mainly Muslim Seleka rebels.

France intervened militarily under a UN mandate, pushing the Seleka from power, and a UN peacekeeping mission, known as MINUSCA, was established to help restore stability. With most regions outside the capital are still overrun by armed militias, the government in Bangui has repeatedly called for the restrictions to be lifted to allow arms deliveries to shore up its security forces.

Thousands of people have been killed during violence in CAR, one of Africa's poorest countries, where a quarter of the 4.5 million people have fled their homes because of the unrest.

Assessment 

Our assessment is that CAR has seriously considered the demands and has been able to re-establish peace and order in the country. The armed rebels have been fighting the government since the Civil war. This has hampered economic growth and development. We feel that Russia’s growing presence may have turned the opinions of the “Séléka”, or the loose coalition of rebel groups, into considering peace talks.

 

Image Courtesy: BBC-UK