Regional heads of state on Tuesday stressed the importance of putting an end to impunity in the Central African Republic (CAR), by bringing to justice the perpetrators of violations of international humanitarian law and human rights violations and abuses. The call was made during the second regional meeting on the political and security situation in CAR government that took place in Luanda, Angola on Monday, April 20. The meeting, which was held in the framework of the International Conference for the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), was presided over by Angolan President João Manuel Lourenço and attended by Presidents Paul Kagame, Dennis Sassou Nguesso of Congo-Brazzaville and Faustin-Archange Touadéra of CAR, among others. During the summit, the heads of state issued a rallying call to CAR’s national authorities to operationalize the truth, justice, reparation and reconciliation commission. “They called on the international community, in particular the United Nations, to join regional efforts to support the efforts initiated by the Central African Republic to revitalize the Political Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation (CAR-PRPA) in order to ensure that its commitments and principles, such as the no to impunity and adherence to the DDRR programme, are respected,” reads part of a communique released after the meeting. Whilst condemning various attacks perpetrated by the CPC rebels, the officials also noted that an evaluation was carried out in order to revitalize the CAR-PRPA framework negotiated in Khartoum, adding that it remains the reference base in the search for a lasting solution to the CAR crisis and thus the instrument for promoting peace. Led by former President Francois Bozize, the Coalition of Patriots for Change (CPC) was formed through the merger of several armed groups in December 2020, as they sought to disrupt the presidential elections that President Faustin-Archange Touadéra won to get a second term. Towards a republican dialogue In order to ensure a success of the republican dialogue, the Heads of State adopted a set of guiding principles including; respect for the constitution of the CAR of March 30, 2016 and the constitutional order represented by the President of the Republic, and strengthening the sovereignty of the State by respecting the national unity and territorial integrity of the CAR government. Other principles include the reaffirmation of the conclusions of the Bangui National Forum as an instrument for national reconciliation as well as the reaffirmation of the CAR-PRPA as an instrument of peace and the fight against impunity. Despite welcoming the results achieved, the leaders urged the government of CAR to implement resolutions from the mini-summit through a ceasefire to allow the creation of a climate favorable to peace and national reconciliation. Similarly, they urged the armed groups not to carry out actions that jeopardise the ceasefire, which must be respected in its entirety, Against this background, leaders at the summit decided to form a working team led by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Rwanda, Angola in collaboration with CAR authorities, to work on the implementation of the recommendations arising from the consultations held with the armed groups. Other commitments include, “To work in-depth with the Central African Republic on cross border cooperation, aimed at assessing mechanisms that could allow a greater control capacity on its territory, the importance of the international communitys support for regional efforts towards peace and stability in the Central African Republic, in particular, in the implementation of the CAR-PRPA.” President Toudera, who was recently re-elected as CAR President, was encouraged to continue his efforts to consolidate public institutions in favor of peace and socioeconomic development in the country. Leaders at the summit commended efforts by MINUSCA and the countries that have supported the Bangui government towards the reconciliation process and the search for a peaceful solution to the conflict in the Central African Republic. Rwanda is among the major troop contributors to MINUSCA. Just recently, President Touadera awarded Rwandan peacekeepers (Rwanbatt7) serving under United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission with the country’s Recognition Medal for their contribution to ensure recent peaceful elections.
