Temporary Peace for Central African Republic
A Peace Agreement is Signed Between Government And Rebel Groups
Jun 30, 2008
On June 21st a peace agreement between the Central African Republic Government and two major rebels groups in the Central African Republic (CAR) was signed. The impoverished and strife-torn country faced a military coup in 2003, that led to the fighting between the government and rebel groups in the country ever since. The fighting has forced some 200,000 Central Africans to be internally displaced or to seek refuge in nearby Chad and Cameroon.
The peace agreement signed in Libreville, Gabon between the Central African Republic authorities, the Union of Democratic Forces for Unity (UFDR) and the Popular Army for the Restoration of Democracy (ARPD). The meeting was facilitated by Gabon's President El Hadj Omar Bongo Ondimba.
On June 27, the Security Council heard a briefing from the Special representative of the Secretary General, Mr. Francois Fall on the situation in the Central African Republic.
The Security Council released a statement that commended President Omar Ondimba and Colonel Muammar Al-Qadhafi of Libya for the assistance they provided.
The statement read by the Security Council President, Zalmay Khalilzad called upon the Government of CAR and the rebel movements to "implement fully the agreements and to convene, as soon as possible, the inclusive political dialogue."
The members of the Security Council labeled the overall political, security and socio-economic situation as fragile, despite the peace agreement. They said that further efforts are needed to fight poverty, insecurity, human rights violations and impunity.
Last year the Security Council established a multidimensional United Nations presence in Eastern Chad and north-eastern CAR to ease the problem of humanitarian suffering.
The Security Council welcomed the inclusion of the Central African Republic on the agenda of the Peace building Commission and the creation of a country specific committee chaired by Belgium, but for this to work they would request special recommendations from Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon on how the mandates surrounding the Central African Republic should be revised.
The former French colony of Ubangi-Shari became the Central African Republic upon independence in 1960. It is a landlocked nation in the center of Africa, which is why subsistence agriculture, together with forestry, is the backbone of the economy of the Central African Republic, with more than 70% of the population living in outlying areas. The agricultural sector generates more than half of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the country.
The 7,900 refugees from the neighboring Sudan, and the 3,700 refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo, have seemed to affect the stability in the Central African Republic.
