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IRIN hat geschrieben:
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: UN highlights "security vacuum" as northern clashes continue
11.01.2012 - IRIN

BANGUI - Among the most pressing security threats in the Central African Republic (CAR) is a Chadian armed group active in the north of the country, which allegedly continues to recruit and acquire weapons, despite having undertaken to return to Chad.

On 26 December, members of this group, the Front Populaire Pour le Redressement (FPR - Popular Front for Recovery) clashed with fighters of a domestic insurgency, the Front Démocratique du Peuple Centrafricain (FDPC - the Central African People's Democratic Front) in the northern village of Vafio, on the road between Kabo and Batafongo, according to a bulletin released by the country's Humanitarian Development Partnership Team, which said two FPR fighters were killed.

The prospect of retaliatory attacks by both sides led the UN to suspend movement along the road.

According to unconfirmed press reports, four civilians were killed and several houses burnt a few days later when 300 FPR elements attacked the town of Kabo.

"Panic gripped the town after these criminals burned one of their victims alive," one report quoted Kabo's deputy mayor, Philippe Gonzay, as saying.

"The population can no longer go about its daily business. We regret that the security forces present in the region did not react to these rebel attacks on the civilian population," he said.

The FPR, which arrived from Chad in 2008, has also been implicated in security incidents in the central province of Ouaka, where a November 2011 report by local officials said the group "had taken up position in several villages and settlements where they extorted more than 900 cattle, several motorbikes and a large sum of money".

According to local sources, the FPR has also conscripted members of the Peul community, an ethnic group - sometimes called Fulani - present in many West African states, as well as CAR, Chad and Niger. The FPR claims to be protecting the wider Peul community.

UN response

In a 21 December resolution, the UN Security Council expressed "deep concern" about the "extensive recruitment and the acquisition of weapons by the FPR, which threaten peace and security in the Central African Republic and the region and constitute violations of the commitments made by the FPR to lay down its weapons and enter into discussions towards peace in the Final Communiqué signed on 13 June 2011 by FPR leader Baba Laddé and the national mediators of Chad and the Central African Republic".

The resolution went on to condemn "human rights violations perpetrated by the FPR, and [to encourage] the Government of the Central African Republic to continue to liaise with the Government of Chad to reach a solution".

According to the 13 June communiqué, a peace agreement was supposed to have been reached within a month on the understanding that this would lead to the return to Chad of 400-500 FPR fighters.

A 28 November Secretary-General's report to the Security Council said talks aimed at implementing the agreement had stalled, "mainly over the issue of security guarantees for the return of Baba Laddé to Chad".

The same report said a faction of another armed group, the Armée populaire pour la restauration de la démocratie (APRD - the Popular Army for the Restoration of Democracy), had said it would only join in a national programme of disarmament and demobilization if the FPR returned to Chad.

Two days after the report was released, CAR President Francois Bozizé said of the FPR, "We will resume previous negotiations to send them back to Chad and if the dialogue fails we will take this matter into our own hands."

But, as the Security Council report underlined, a "serious security vacuum in many parts of the country" is a direct result of "the lack of state authority outside the capital. The national security and defence forces, which should function as primary security providers in the remote areas of the country, are under-resourced and largely incapable of fulfilling their responsibilities."

While the Secretary-General's report noted "significant progress" in disarming former combatants in CAR, the head of the UN Peacebuilding Office in the country, Margaret Vogt, warned of the dangers of under-funding this process.

"Failure to consolidate security in the CAR would increase its attractiveness as a safe haven for regional brigands and rebel groups operating in the region," she said on 14 December.

For his part, Laddé denies accusations of abusing civilians, and recently told a local radio station his group was working to protect people from criminal gangs - known as Zaraguinas - which have long preyed on civilians in several parts of the country.

IRIN hat geschrieben:
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: DDR moves forward
17.05.2012 - IRIN

BANGUI - The Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) process relating to former rebels in the Central African Republic (CAR) is back on track: [ http://www.irinnews.org/Report/95321/Br ... nd-hurdles ] More than 1,000 already disarmed fighters of the Popular Army for the Restoration of Democracy (APRD) led by Jean Jacques Démafouth began to be demobilized on 12-13 May.

APRD says 1,431 disarmed ex-combatants were demobilized on 12 May in the northern-central prefecture of Nana Gribizi in the presence of the Central African Armed Forces; representatives of the Mission for the Consolidation of Peace Central Africa (MICOPAX); Jean Jacques Démafouth in his capacity as senior vice-president of the DDR Steering Committee; and CAR Disarmament Minister Gen Xavier Sylvestre Yagaongo (second vice-chairman of the committee). The process is due to take a week to complete.

On 12 May, a first group of 200 ex-combatants surrendered their weapons for demobilization ID cards. They received reintegration kits consisting of household goods provided by the government and the UN Development Programme, before being given medical examinations. Each demobilized person gets 169,300 CFA francs (258 euros).

Ex-combatants can choose between military or civilian life. The latter means farming, joining the National Youth Pioneers, or undertaking various skills training courses.

The revival of the DDR process comes after a setback caused by the arrest in early January of Jean Jacques Démafouth (on charges of endangering state security) and funding problems. However, Démafouth was released five weeks ago and an appeal has been made to the UN for more funding.

Yangongo said last week: "The first phase of operations relates to APRD... Once completed, the process will switch to other rebels especially in Kabo (northern CAR).

APRD had 7,000 fighters, at least 4,000 of whom have already been disarmed. Apart from APRD, five other movements which have signed peace agreements with the government are involved in the DDR process.

IRIN hat geschrieben:
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: Security hopes improve after main rebel groups disband
05.06.2012 - IRIN

BANGUI - A near decade-long insurgency which stoked insecurity in the Central African Republic's (CAR) northern regions has eased after the disbandment in May of two main rebel groups there, bringing hopes for stability.

The Popular Army for the Restoration of Democracy (APRD) and the Republican Forces Union (UFR) dissolved and their fighters begun to disarm under peace agreements with the government.

The 7,000-strong APRD, which formed in 2005, carried out its first attacks against the army two years later in the northern town of Pahoua in Houam Pende region; later, clashes spread to the central region of Nana Gribizi.

Fighters ruthlessly attacked civilians, religious leaders, aid workers and their property, forcing residents to flee to the bush or to neighbouring Chad. The UFR, with a smaller force of some 2,000 fighters, operated only in the northern Kabo region.

On 17 and 18 May respectively, the APRD and the UFR announced their dissolution, raising hopes of an end to years of insecurity and suffering by the local population.

"We have stopped hostilities since 2007 after signing a comprehensive peace agreement in Libreville in Gabon, allowing the free movement of people and goods in areas we control. We are disarming, but the government should ensure our security and give us all we need," said Lakoue Maradas Nado, a regional APRD commander.

Figures, however, vary on the number of APRD rebels who have been disarmed, demobilized and reintegrated [ http://www.irinnews.org/Report/95471/CE ... es-forward ] since the ex-rebel chief Jean-Jacques Demafouth signed the peace deal with the government in 2008 and committed to disarmament.

"APRD's disbandment is a security gauge for the residents in the north. It marks the end of fear, the end of the checkpoints set up by the ex-rebels, and it will encourage a return of the displaced and refugees as well as a resumption of farming in these areas which were CAR's breadbasket," said Macaire Niwe, a sociologist.

The CAR government has acknowledged the rebels' disarmament while the UN representative in the country, Margaret Vogt (also head of the disarmament plan), expressed satisfaction with the programme.

Vogt said she "acknowledges APRD's disbandment. and that of the URF a day later by its leaders. The international community appreciates the true value of this gesture."

Former rebel leader Demafouth said his fighters were now ready to work as part of the security forces.

"Regarding demobilized troops, they become ordinary citizens because the movement no longer has a reason to exist," he added.

"They have an amnesty that protects them. I am the national coordinator of the UN reintegration programme for the former fighters. We will help them find work, reform their lives.

IRIN hat geschrieben:
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: Boost for peace as rebel group disbands
09.10.2012 - IRIN

BANGUI - Preparations for the repatriation of 3,000 followers of a Chadian former rebel leader have started in Bangui, capital of the Central African Republic (CAR). If successful, the month-long operation will be an important step towards the return of peace and security in northern and north-central CAR.

Abdel Kader Baba-Laddé, the leader of the Popular Front for Recovery (Front Populaire pour le Redressement, or FPR), surrendered on 3 September and returned two days later to Chad to make peace with the government there. A committee - chaired by chief CAR ombudsman Paulin Pomodimo and supported by the UN and the multinational force in CAR - has been formed to oversee the repatriation of those of his followers who are Chadian - a minority were recruited inside CAR.

These followers are leaving the town of Ippy in central CAR, where the FPR holed up after a joint attack by CAR and Chadian armed forces in January 2012. "Women and children will be part of the first convoy, and men will follow after," said Ferreira Firmhino, a senior government mediation and repatriation official. They will head first for Bangui.

After several failed attempts at negotiations and dialogue, "General" Baba-Laddé surrendered, saying he would finally "make peace with the Central African population".

But human rights activists are opposed to his unconditional repatriation, even if this is welcomed by civilians displaced by FPR's activities.

Over 20,000 displace

Baba-Laddé, who once served in the Chadian police, arrived in CAR in 2008, taking advantage of the virtual lack of state security forces in the northwest.

Based mainly in Ouandago Commune, his group, which included some local unemployed youths, was accused of committing atrocities against civilians. A 29 May 2012 report presented by the UN Integrated Peacebuilding Office in CAR (BINUCA) [ http://binuca.unmissions.org/Default.as ... uage=en-US ], said 22,000 people had been displaced by FPR.

Fulani pastoralists were also targeted, often facing hold-ups and ransom demands. "Sometimes Baba-Laddé took our cattle. Sometimes, if he pleased, he bought them for a sum of his choosing. He also had us escorted by his men to the cattle market in Bangui, where we sold the cattle and handed over the money to him before being allowed to go,'' said Diodi, a cattle trader in Bangui.

Baba-Laddé's presence also affected the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) of other combatants in CAR.

An expert with BINUCA working on the DDR programme told IRIN that the armed group the Popular Army for the Restoration of Democracy (APRD), based in northern-central CAR, had set as a condition for surrendering its weapons the disarmament or repatriation of Baba-Laddé's forces. This led to the suspension of DDR activities in September 2011. It took the ''neutralization'' of Baba-Laddé's forces in January for APRD to be completely disarmed and disbanded.

Demands for justice

After his surrender, local NGO Network for Promoting and Defending Human Rights (ROPDDH) said Baba-Laddé's crimes "may fall within the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court.''

ROPDDH issued a 4 September press release calling for justice for Baba-Laddé's "many victims of banditry".

The National Mediation Council thinks this is "fair and normal", but not urgent. "This is not the priority. You cannot launch a lawsuit against this man while his followers still have weapons in their hands and are in CAR," said Ombudsman Paulin Pomodimo.

The ombudsman also pointed out that there would be no DDR programme for Baba-Laddé's Central African supporters. They will simply be gathered in Bangui before returning to their respective communities, except for an unknown number who accept Chad's offer to host them.

Die Lage in der Zentralafrikanischen Republik ist angespannt. Die Rebellen rücken vor in Richtung der Hauptstadt Bangui. Doch jetzt gibt es ein Zeichen der Entspannung. Die Rebellen wollen offenbar mit Präsident Bozizé verhandeln.

Afrika verstärkt die diplomatischen Bemühungen um eine politische Lösung des Konflikts in der Zentralafrikanischen Republik. Der amtierende Präsident der Afrikanischen Union (AU), Benins Staatschef Yayi Boni, reiste am Sonntag in die zentralafrikanische Hauptstadt Bangui, um den dortigen Präsidenten Francois Bozizé zu treffen. Bozizé steht unter Druck, seit Rebellen sich in den vergangenen Wochen bis kurz vor die Hauptstadt herangekämpft haben.

Nach dem Wiederaufflammen des Bürgerkrieges in Ostkongo zum Ende des Jahres 2012 ist nun auch die benachbarte Zentralafrikanische Republik Schauplatz einer Rebellion geworden, unter der vor allem die Zivilbevölkerung des bitterarmen Landes leidet. Für Unruhe in der früheren französischen Kolonie sorgt eine aus drei Gruppen bestehende Rebellenkoalition, die unter den Namen Séléka firmiert [...] Die Aufständischen erklärten, ihre jüngste Offensive sei eine Reaktion auf fortgesetzte Angriffe der Regierungstruppen gewesen. Eine Eroberung von Bangui sei jedoch nicht geplant. Bereits zuvor hatten die Rebellen mit Bria das Zentrum des Diamanthandels erobert [...] Der jüngsten Bedrohung durch die erst im August gegründete Rebellenallianz begegnet Bozize mit einem alten Reflex: dem Ruf nach Hilfe aus dem Tschad und aus Frankreich. Allerdings hat zumindest die ehemalige Kolonialmacht den Einsatz eigener Soldaten zum Schutz der amtierenden Regierung in Bangui bereits abgelehnt. Präsident François Hollande sagte mehrfach, die im Land stationierten französischen Soldaten würden sich nicht in einen internen Konflikt einmischen, sondern allein die von aufgebrachten Menschen angegriffene Botschaft in der Hauptstadt Bangui schützen.

IRIN hat geschrieben:
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: Rebel advance worsens humanitarian crisis
04.01.2013 - IRIN

A rebel takeover of several key towns in the Central African Republic (CAR) has placed additional strain on humanitarian conditions that were already precarious due to years of armed conflict. Access to populations in need and aid personnel on the ground are now significantly reduced.

That the rebels - grouped under the "Seleka" alliance - were able to advance to within 160km of the capital, Bangui, with little opposition from government forces underscores the absence of state infrastructure in much of the country. In many areas, basic healthcare and education are provided by aid groups or not at all.

"Population displacements have been reported in a number of areas, including Bangui, Ndélé and across the border into the Democratic Republic of Congo, from the Mobaye region in CAR and towards Bertoua in Cameroon," the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a recent update. [ http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.in ... 1_2013.pdf ]

"There are serious concerns about the protection of civilians across the country amid reports of widespread looting and violence. An estimated 316,000 people are living in the affected areas, and some 700,000 persons in Bangui are at further risk of an escalation in fighting," the update said.

"A few humanitarian partners are responding to the most urgent emergency needs of displaced people in Ndélé and other areas, but temporary evacuations of humanitarian staff from affected areas due to the violence have disrupted a number of humanitarian programmes across the country," it added. The grounding of UN aircraft, "the primary means of transport around CAR," has also limited the activities of partners on the ground.

Medical needs

Areas with the most pressing needs include the towns of Ndélé, Bamingui, Kabo, Batangafo, Kaga-Bandoro, Sam Ouandja, Bambari, Bria and Sibut.

"Increased military movements and clashes between rebels and the army have forced the civilian population to leave their homes, preventing them from accessing the basic services they need - medical aid, in particular," medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said a 27 December statement. "This situation could have fatal consequences for people already struggling to find care after a decade of chronic armed violence had severely limited the country's health system." [ http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/ne ... field-news ]

"Because of the insecurity in the area [the town of Batangafo, taken by the rebels on 20 December], it is impossible to refer any patient from the peripheral health posts to the hospital, in case of severe conditions and emergencies, due to the total restriction of motorbike-taxi movements," said Amal El Oualji, MSF's project coordinator in Batangafo.

"In the town of Ndélé, in the north of CAR, which was attacked on December 10. MSF is aware of at least 2,600 displaced people who are spending nights in small groups, hiding in the bush or seeking refuge at the airstrip, not far from town. Unfortunately, this is only a small fraction of the displaced population; most are spending the nights close to their crop fields, in smaller groups of between two and five families spread over many kilometres with no road access. Many of them suffer from diseases such as malaria, acute respiratory infection or diarrhoea," the statement said.

Rights abuses

The International Federation of Human Rights Leagues (FIDH) says the rebel advance, which began in early December, has been accompanied by "repeated attacks, rapes and looting" against civilians in areas under their control.

"In Bangui, the rebel advance has reportedly unleashed a wave of arrests and intimidation against political opponents and people from the north of the country, a zone the rebels come from," FIDH said in a statement.

"All international crimes committed by either side could fall under the competence of the International Criminal Court, which remains seized of the situation in CAR," said FIDH chairperson Souhayr Belhassen.

The Federation added that the absence of justice in CAR has been one of the sources of armed violence over the last decade, including the one in 2003 that brought the current president, Francois Bozizé, to power.

FIDH also called for negotiations due to start 8 January in Gabon to include political groups and civil society "to guarantee a transparent political transition, allowing for the establishment of a better government and to tackle impunity for the most serious crimes."

A forgotten crisis

The country is described by the European Commission's humanitarian arm (ECHO) as being in a state of "forgotten crisis."

"Its volatile context and very poor humanitarian situation are largely unknown, major donors are thin on the ground, and there is a lack of experienced partners. The multiple population displacements affect relatively small numbers of people compared with neighbouring countries, but the various vulnerability indicators are very worrying and reflect a lack of resilience of the population to absorb even minor shocks," said an ECHO Humanitarian Implementation Plan released in October 2012.

According to the US$129 million 2013 Consolidated Appeal for CAR, "chronic crisis has substantial humanitarian repercussions that increase the population's vulnerability. This chronic vulnerability. is exacerbated by minimal access to basic social services, presence of destabilizing armed actors and frequency of localized natural disasters". Major hurdles to addressing needs are "access constraints due to insecurity and criminality, and the lack of funding required for effective project planning and implementation", the appeal said.

Action Against Hunger (ACF) noted, "Despite a certain recovery since the 2008 economic crisis, economic growth (in CAR) is too weak to have an impact on poverty reduction and job creation. The country is immense, five times the size of France, but infrastructure is non-existent. The state is quasi-absent and the health system barely exists except in Bangui."

Next steps

Noting that the Seleka rebellion follows decades of instability and several bouts of violence in the capital, the International Crisis Group (ICG) said in a briefing that the priority now should be avoiding another "battle of Bangui" and further violence against civilians. [ http://www.crisisgroup.org/en/publicati ... gn=mremail ]

To this end, ICG urged that the forthcoming negotiations between the government, Seleka and opposition parties include discussions on the composition of a government of national unity, stimulating the economy, army reform, disarmament and the reintegration of combatants, as well as the creation of a commission to investigate state violence.

In dem seit vergangenen Dezember schwelenden Konflikt in der Zentralafrikanischen Republik erzielen die Seleka-Rebellen durch die Einnahme der Hauptstadt Bangui einen entscheidenden Fortschritt. Präsident Bozizé ist flüchtig, sein Aufenthaltsort unbekannt [...] Paris hat in dem Land derzeit 250 Soldaten stationiert. Unbestätigten Berichten zufolge wurden weitere 150 Mann entsandt, um den Flughafen von Bangui zu sichern [...] In dem krisengeschüttelten Staat leben heute noch etwa 1200 Franzosen, die meisten davon in Bangui. Der französische Staatspräsident François Hollande bekräftigte noch im Dezember, dass Frankreich ausschließlich zum Schutz seiner eigenen Bürger Truppen in das Land entsenden würde. Alle weiteren Maßnahmen würden eines UN-Mandates bedürfen.

Die Rebellen in der Zentralafrikanischen Republik wollen nach eigenen Angaben die Vereinbarungen des im Januar in Libreville in Gabun geschlossenen Friedensabkommens respektieren. "Wir werden uns immer an den Geist von Libreville halten", sagte Rebellenführer Michel Djotodia im Radio France Internationale. Er sagte zu, dass der Chef der aktuellen Regierung der nationalen Einheit, Nicolas Tiangaye, im Amt bleiben solle. Auch sollten innerhalb von drei Jahren "freie und transparente" Wahlen stattfinden, kündigte der Djotodia an, der sich zum Übergangspräsidenten erklären will.