Highlights:

• CAR added to UN Peace-building Commission agenda on 12 June
• Organizing committee of the Inclusive Political Dialogue established on 9 June
• Update on EUFOR
• Assessment of food needs in Bamingui-Bangoran by World Food Programme
• Handover of the Molangue site for DRC refugees to Central African Government by UNHCR

Background and security

CAR on Peace-building Commission agenda

The Central African Republic (CAR) on 12 June became the fourth country to be placed on the agenda of the United Nations Peace-building Commission, which was set up to help countries emerging from conflict avoid the slide back into war or chaos.
The 31-member body, meeting at UN Headquarters in New York, agreed to the CAR move after a request earlier this year from the Government. CAR joins Burundi, Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone on the agenda of the Peace-building Commission, which was established by the UN at the end of 2005. It is tasked with marshalling resources from around the world and providing strategic advice to post-conflict States.

President François Bozizé told the meeting that the country is emerging from a long cycle of recurring socio-economic and political crises and that his Government is working to rebuild State institutions, particularly the judiciary.

Dialogue organizing committee established

President François Bozizé has established the organizing committee for the Inclusive Political Dialogue on 9 June. The committee is composed of members of the present Government, politico-military groups and civil society.

According to the presidential decree, the Dialogue organizing committee is charged with the mobilization of financial and material resources and with the proposal of a steering structure for the Inclusive Political Dialogue.

The global peace accord between the three politico-military groups and the Government has not yet been signed. According to the Government, the deal could be reached next week in Libreville, Gabon.

Update on EUFOR

General Ganascia, Commander of the European Force for the Central African Republic and Chad (EUFOR) on 11 June held a press conference in Bangui so as to inform the Central African population on the field activities of the Force.

The General said that EUFOR has currently 3,000 troops in Chad and CAR. The original objective was to have 3,700 troops, including 200 based in Headquarters in Paris.

He also insisted on the multi-national character of the detachment in Birao in the north east of the country. While the French remain the majority of the troops stationed there, Swedish and Finnish contingents and Austrian nurses are present from time to time.

Before the end of July, EUFOR will receive a fleet of 15 helicopters to be based in Abéché in Chad. The helicopters will lead to an increased mobility and thus better surveillance of the roads and the regions, particularly in Birao where road patrols until now are limited to a circle of 60 km around the town.

General Ganascia also met with the humanitarian community to inform this group on the progress of EUFOR operations in the north east of the country.

Current events

Food assessment in Bamingui-Bangoran

The World Food Programme (WFP) carried out a rapid assessment of food needs in the Bamingui-Bangoran province in the north center of the country with a view to include the area in its protracted relief and recovery operations. The mission collected and analyzed data on people’s food security and made recommendations to respond to the needs.

Further to the massif displacement of people caused by the conflict between rebels and Government in the region in previous years, the 2007 agricultural season was hampered by the lack of seeds and tools. As of today, the majority of the displaced people have returned and they are resuming subsistence farming as best they can.

Even if a general food distribution is not deemed necessary, the population needs to be supported while recovering their goods and means of survival. WFP suggests that the 3,576 farmers who are benefitting from the tools and seeds programme of the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) must also receive food rations so as to avoid consumption of the seeds.

School to be rehabilitated in Ndélé, the provincial capital

The mission also found that school buildings were damaged and that children, particularly girls, often leave school because of the hunger prevailing in their families. WFP recommends extending its emergency school feeding programme to the province in order to help these children to return to school while helping communities to rehabilitate school buildings and class rooms through the ‘Food for Work’ programme.

For more information: yasuhiro.tsumura@wfp.org

Handover of the Molangue site by UNHCR

The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) officially handed over on 11 June the Molangue site in Lobaye province, populated by refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), to the Central African Government.

Opened in 2001, the Molangue site has allowed Congolese refugees to live in security and dignity for years. Thanks to the hospitality of the Central African Government and the goodwill of the local population, these refugees who fled war and violence in their home country, were able to settle here and restart their lives in peace,» said Bruno Geddo, UNHCR representative in CAR.

In 2003, UNHCR started a repatriation operation of Congolese refugees and 5,500 of them have returned to their home country. The last convoy returned in October 2007.

At the end of the operation, 112 Congolese refugees remain in Molangue, where they have settled, and 1,800 others live in Bangui. The remaining refugees wish to live permanently in CAR and they embarked on the local integration procedures. The National Commission for Refugees (CNR) and UNHCR are supporting them in undertaking the necessary steps to obtain the Central African nationality.

100.000 condoms for displaced people
During a ceremony in the capital, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) donated 100,000 condoms, including 10,000 female condoms, to UNHCR in the context of HIV/AIDS prevention. The donation will help internally displaced persons and refugees to protect themselves from HIV.

From 6 to 12 June, 50 headmasters attended a workshop on school management and educational skills in Bangui. The training, supported by the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), has enabled participants to:

• Benefit from the sharing of experiences on management and leadership practices to work towards a quality ‘Education for All’
• Acquire knowledge and examples of good practice for effective school management and educational leadership
• Strengthen their capacities to support the emergence and implementation of good practices in schools.

For more information: h.cron@unesco.org

Download the bulletin in English (PDF; 108 KB)

Contact us: UN OCHA Bangui, CAR
Nancy Snauwaert | snauwaert@un.org | +236 75 54 22 78
Gisèle Willybiro | willybiro@un.org | +236 75 54 90 31