14 - 21 April 2008 - Highlights:

• CAR government held a four day security sector reform seminar
• A delegation of the preparatory committee for the inclusive dialogue for peace in the CAR is visiting several African capitals
• Torben Brylle, Special Representative of the European Union for Sudan and the EUFOR mission in Chad and CAR visits Bangui

Current events

CAR completes crucial first step in SSR

The CAR government held a four-day security sector reform (SSR) seminar last week, working from Monday to Thursday to give a thorough accounting of CAR’s security and justice services, as well as to establish short- and medium-term strategies for reform. SSR is one of the key steps identified in CAR’s recent poverty reduction strategy and could have major implications for the humanitarian situation in the country.

Following five months of work by the presidentiallyappointed National Security Sector Reform Committee, President François Bozizé opened the seminar on 14 April. Initial sessions focused on examining the status, mandates and needs of the country’s security and justice services. Subsequent sessions worked to integrate cross-cutting themes, such as parliamentary oversight, transparent public funding and gender, into strategies for reform. Discussions were chiefly centered on the following actors:

• National army (Forces armées centrafricaines) and gendarmerie;
• National and municipal police forces;
• Other police forces (customs, environmental protection/rangers);
• Justice and penitentiary systems;
• intelligence services;
• Private security firms.

Participants worked in commissions through Wednesday evening to finalize concrete measures for reform that would lay the foundation for a prodevelopment security sector over the next two years. At the closing ceremony on 17 April, President Bozizé accepted these recommendations on behalf of the government, indicating strong support for SSR among CAR leaders. Key proposals include suggestions to:

• Increase the number of FACA recruits and enforce mandatory retirement rules (starting May 2008);
• Adopt a military code of conduct based on human rights and establish punishments for violations (October 2008);
• Introduce clearly distinguished uniforms for different services (December 2008);
• Train neighborhood and village chiefs on their legal role (January 2009);
• Establish a corps of civilian prison guards (January 2009);
• Review methods to dismantle illegal check-points (May 2008) and reduce the number of legal check-points (August 2008).

For more information contact john.ratcliffe@undp.org
or download at http://hdptcar.net/blog/ssr

Committee for inclusive dialogue for peace

A delegation of the preparatory committee for the inclusive dialogue in the Central African Republic comprising representatives of the civil society and international organisations, visited Lomé in Togo on Friday, 18 April where ex-president Ange Felix Patasse lives. Before, the delegation had traveled to Paris where they met Jean-Jacques Demafouth, the new leader of the People’s Army for the Restoration of Democracy (APRD), an armed group active in the north-west of the Central African Republic.

The delegation had also visited Tripoli last Wednesday to meet President Muammar Khadafi, who supports the peace dialogue and Abdoulaye Miskine, another leader of a third group, FDPC. Jean-Jacques Demafouth and Abdoulaye Miskine have asked for security guarantees and amnesty before they come to Bangui. The delegation will soon visit Gabon for a meeting with the mediator of the dialogue, Gabonese President Omar Bongo Ondimba. The Central African inclusive peace dialogue will be held in mid-June 2008 and will last 17 days according to an agreement between the members of the preparatory committee and the Government.

Current events

Education in the north-west by NRC

NRC arrived in CAR last July and is now in full swing implementing an emergency education project in the Batangafo-Kabo-Ouandago triangle, in Ouham prefecture. The project employs 20 local staff and is operating in 36 schools giving much needed education to some 11.300 children.

To this day, the NRC has educated 12 trainers who in their turn have trained 179 parent-teachers. The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), United Nations Fund for Children (UNICEF) and the Emergency Response Fund (ERF) are supporting the project financially. The Ministry of Education initiated the project and NRC works in close cooperation with the Ministry. As needs for primary education are enormous both in Ouham and Ouham-Pendé, NRC is planning for an expansion of its education program in 2009, subject to funding.

EUFOR
On Thursday, 17 April, 2008, the Special Representative of the European Union for Sudan and the operation EUFOR-Tchad/RCA, Torben Brylle, and the Commander of the European Force, General Jean-Philippe Ganascia held a joint press conference in Bangui. In his introductory statement, Torben Brylle recalled the mandate of EUFOR Chad/RCA, which is to protect civilians in particular refugees and displaced persons, facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance and free movement of humanitarian workers, the protection of staff, site and equipment of the United Nations contributing to improve security in the area of operations.

For his part, General Ganascia stressed the military engagement of EUFOR troops who conduct reconnaissance missions in their area of operation. Both authorities have put emphasis on the various statuses of the European forces who are in Chad and Central African Republic who have signed an agreement with EUFOR. The European Commission in parallel with EUFOR will support humanitarian projects in the area such as the rehabilitation of health care center and the improvement of road infrastructure.

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