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The IIJD Newsletter:
   
Central African Republic: Regional Conflict Garners International Attention; Political Turmoil Underscores Ongoing Crisis
By Lorie Miller
January 25, 2008
The Central African Republic's Prime Minister Elie Dote has resigned along with his cabinet, adding political upheaval to the long list of ongoing crises in the CAR. According to a spokesperson for President Francois Bozize, the parliament was considering censoring the former Prime Minister when he resigned “in order to preserve social peace, cohesion and national harmony” [1]. Dote's tenure was strained in recent weeks by the ongoing strike of unionized civil servants and teachers demanding salary arrears for seven months of unpaid work. President Bozize claims that the government lacks funds to pay strikers, and has quickly appointed academic Faustin Archange Touadera to the Prime Minister post [2].
Political strife in Bangui belies the tenuously maintained order in the capital while much of the rest of the country has descended into chaos. Rebels and government forces continue fighting in the north while civilians are attacked and intimidated from all sides. Over 300,000 have had to relocate internally or externally into neighboring Chad and even Sudan [3]. External displacement reflects the regional nature of the conflict, which is part caused by a spillover of violence from Sudan's Darfur region. President Bangui has in the past accused Sudan's government of supporting armed rebellion in the CAR [4], but relations are normalized between the two countries at present. UN peacekeepers are set to arrive in the CAR in February to help stabilize the region and protect civilians from worst effects of the ongoing conflict.
The impact on civilians has been most deeply felt by women and children who are often victims of targeted violence and who face malnutrition and lack of access to potable water and sanitation as a consequence of the conflict [5]. When not caught between rebel and government fighting, civilians must fear bandits, who often come from other regions and even other countries to kidnap, rob and loot and generally take advantage of the lack of security [6]. Violence and looting have also decimated homes and infrastructure and created a humanitarian crisis that the ongoing strike worsens as government services remain disrupted [7].
President Bozize's government faces accusations ranging from incompetence and corruption to murderous repression for its inability to protect civilians in the north. According to a researcher from Amnesty International, “law and order in the Central African Republic is heading rapidly towards the brink of collapse - the government's authority is already effectively confined to the capital, Bangui, where also insecurity, corruption and impunity reign” [8]. In Bangui, workers strike to demand their salaries and journalists are jailed for charging the government's ministers of corruption [9]. In the north, the army is accused of widespread brutality and civilian executions [10].
With the arrival of UN peacekeepers in the region in February, the situation in the CAR is finally receiving desperately needed attention from the international community. Attention has before now largely remained focused on Sudan's Darfur region. Amnesty International stated six months ago that the worsening situation in the CAR merited a UN presence [11]. The slow progress and narrow focus of international attention has perhaps extended the consequences of the conflict unnecessarily. The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court will also visit the CAR soon to investigate war crimes that may have taken place in 2002 and 2003 and also to monitor continued violence in the north [12].
The International Institute for Justice and Development advocates for a two-pronged approach to development, one that is relevant to the disastrous situation in the CAR right now. According to this approach, economic development must accompany the development of strong and independent governing institutions. As sustained violence destroys infrastructure and livelihoods and places many in need of humanitarian assistance in the CAR, the actions of an irresponsible and corrupt government perpetuate the armed conflict and the suffering it causes. As the living situations of people in the CAR become more desperate, perceived or real repression on the part of the government will lure people into rebel movements. More than a UN peacekeeping force is needed in the CAR. The African Union should also deploy troops to assist in calming regional violence and protecting civilians. The IIJD calls for increased international humanitarian aid in recognition of the ongoing crisis. Political headway is also needed in the CAR, as the government remains in a stalemate during the strike. Bozize's government must negotiate with striking unions so that civil servants are paid their salaries and schools and government offices may reopen. Journalists must be allowed to report on corruption, even if this information incites and destabilizes in the short term. The government of the CAR must commit to transparency and reinforcing law and order at all times, but especially in this time of conflict.
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