News bulletin 87 (24 Nov- 1 Dec 2008)
Dec 2nd, 2008 by Gisele Willybiro, OCHA
Highlights
- Funding for the CEEAC peace mission
- € 3 million for a programme to support the stabilization of the north-east
- Supporting local agricultural organizations in the north-west
Background and security
Funding for the CEEAC peace mission
The European Union on 25 November signed a funding agreement amounting to FCFA 3.3 billion, or just over € 5 million, with the Economic Community of Central African States (CEEAC) to contribute resources to the CEEAC peace-building mission in CAR.
Thierry Matisse, the Head of Delegation of the European Commission in Gabon, represented the European Union during the signing ceremony. The CEEAC was represented by Louis Sylvain Ngoma, Secretary General of the organization.
At the moment, a contingent of about 500 soldiers coming from four CEEAC member states, namely Gabon, Chad, Congo and Cameroon, is present in Bangui, Bozoum, Kaga Bandoro and Paoua to help increase the security of the Central African territory.
APRD accuses the government
In a press release issued on 25 November by Laurent Djim Woei, the spokesperson of the Popular Army for the Restoration of Democracy (APRD), the rebel movement accused the Central African government of an attack against one of their bases in Boyangou, close to the border with Cameroon, on 22 November. The attack was reportedly carried out by the national army supported by the self-defense committees in the region.
Fifteen of its members were arrested and seven others were executed, according to the APRD. The group demands the liberation of the 15 prisoners, and threatens to withdraw from the inclusive political dialogue if this demand is not met.
The government, for its part, says that it captured 17 armed bandits, so-called zaraguinas, in that area.
Current events
€ 3 million for the north east
The European Commission signed a funding agreement of € 3 million with the Central African government for a programme to support the stabilization of the north-east of CAR. The programme is linked to the presence of the European Force in CAR and Chad (EUFOR). Four organizations were entrusted with its implementation.
The first contract of € 41,700 was signed with the Road Maintenance Fund, a governmental institution. The funds will be used to render the ferry in Boungou, on the main road from Bangui to the north-east, operational again and to evaluate the condition of the infrastructure around the ferry.
Comité d’Aide Médicale, a French NGO, is the signatory of the second contract amounting to € 700,000. The project aims to ensure the access of the Vakaga population to basic health services, and maternal and child health care in the provincial hospital, using a sustainable approach.
Triangle Génération Humanitaire, another French NGO, will help to restore access to water and primary education through a project which will last for 32 months. In the two sectors, Triangle will build new infrastructure, such as schools, boreholes and wells, while increasing the local management capacity, especially by inviting the representatives of the technical ministerial departments to be directly involved and support the local actors in providing access to essential services in the Vakaga. The NGO therefore signed a contract of € 1.5 million with the European Commission.
The fourth funding agreement, for an amount close to € 450,000, was signed with the Aid Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development (ACTED). The NGO will construct 11 bridges or ducts to cross the wadis between Birao and Boromata. The worst stretches of track, about 10% of the 120 km, will be rehabilitated so as to facilitate the passage of vehicles. ACTED will also support the local administration with the updating of the Vakaga maps, namely by creating a geo-referenced database which contains information on the road network, villages, school, health centres and administrative services.
The activities of the four contracts are in the start-up phase.
For more information:pierre-yves.lambert@ec.europa.eu
Supporting local agricultural organizations
The Coordination of agricultural organizations for the development of Paoua (COPADEP), a structure created in 2006 by farmers of this sub-prefecture in the north-west, today unites more than 600 community groups which have mobilized close to FCFA 3 million. COPADEP functions as a cooperative body which defends the interests of the member groups, provides them with services and helps them to negotiate loans and find markets for agricultural and other products.
The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) has responded positively to the needs of this community organization by providing technical support to identify its strengths, its weaknesses and opportunities for improvement. DRC called upon the services of the «Support Service for Local Development Initiatives», an NGO based in Cameroon which has a proven track record in organizational evaluations of agricultural cooperatives. The NGO has helped COPADEP to write its development plan for the next three years.
Three participatory workshops enabled more than 150 leaders of member groups to share their thoughts and visions for the future of COPADEP. A validation workshop was held at the end of October in Paoua to inform the members of the groups on the workshop recommendations. COPADEP is now in the process of preparing its national assembly, which will validate the organization’s bylaws, the organization chart, the new work plan and the budget for 2009-2011.
For more information:drccar@drc.dk
Better protection for displaced children
On 26 November 2008, the Geneva-based Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, established by the Norwegian Refugee Council, published a report which says that internally displaced children in CAR face severe protection problems caused by ongoing insecurity and violence. The report ‘State of Neglect: Displaced Children in the Central African Republic’ describes the human rights violations suffered by displaced children in four regions in the north of the country, and provides policy recommendations for improving their protection and care.
Children under 18 account for almost 50 per cent of all internally displaced people in CAR, but the government and the international community have not done enough to protect and assist them, according to the report. The document can be downloaded from the Centre’s website: www.internal-displacement.org.
For more information:laura.perez@nrc.ch
40 Officers for Criminal Investigation trained
The Office of the United Nations in CAR (BONUCA) organized a training for 40 officers and policemen for them to obtain the grade of Officer for Criminal Investigation. The training, staged in collaboration with the General Directorate of the National Police and with the support of the French cooperation, took place at the National Police School in Bangui.
The 40 trainees followed a learning course in October and November which consisted of judicial theory, procedural practice and professional techniques, in order to ensure that the senior officers of the national police force have judicial expertise. The degrees were awarded at a ceremony on 29 November.
For more information:tourea@un.org
Nancy Snauwaert | snauwaert@un.org | +236 75 54 22 78
Gisèle Willybiro | willybiro@un.org | +236 75 54 90 31
