Leaders in the central African sub-region need better strategies to effectively deal with rampant conflicts that still plague the region, Prime Minister Dr. Pierre Damien Habumuremyi, has said. 

The Prime Minister made the call while officially opening the 36th meeting of the United Nations Standing Advisory Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa (UNSAC), held Friday at the Kigali Serena Hotel.  

"We believe that the work done by the experts will permit you to tag paths that lead to re-evaluating all options for resolving the conflicts that continue to hold hostage the future of the people of our sub-region,” Habumuremyi said.  

Referring to Rwanda’s experience, he stated that addressing root causes of conflicts requires a thorough application of home grown solutions. 

While reviewing the geopolitical and security situation in Central Africa, the ministerial meeting covered issues of disarmament in the sub-region, peace and security, fight against armed groups and modalities of mediation.  

Delivering UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message, Chad’s Abou Moussa, the UN head’s Special Representative and Head of the UN Regional Office for Central Africa (UNOCA), reiterated that the meeting was a unique opportunity to find lasting solutions to the sub-region’s security woes. 

"I am so happy to note that the issue of elephant poaching is on the agenda of this meeting. We must combat, with vigour, this illegal and horrendous act – particularly considering its role in financing certain rebel groups,” Moussa read. 

Ban’s message follows reports blaming rebel groups for the slaughter of almost 12,000 elephants in Central African countries since 2004. International and Cameroonian wildlife organisations have announced that rebels are working with corrupt government officials to sell the Ivory to Asia to finance their insurgencies.

The ministers also discussed security issues pertaining to maritime piracy in the Gulf of Guinea as well as the effective implementation of the roadmap on the fight of proliferation of small arms and light weapons in the region.  

Experts who attended the meeting represent regional and international organisations that include the UN, the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), Regional Centre on Small Arms in the Great Lakes Region the Horn of Africa and Bordering States (RECSA), the Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries (CEPGL) as well as member states. 

It also attracted foreign affairs and defence ministers from UNSAC’s eleven member states of Rwanda, Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, as well as Sao Tome and Principe.   

One of the key recommendations made at the end of the meeting was to strengthen capabilities of ECCAS’ early Warning Systems and periodic review of the security situation in member states.