News bulletin 91 (5 – 12 Jan 2009)
Jan 14th, 2009 by Gisele Willybiro, OCHA
Highlights
- Presentation of the charges against Jean-Pierre Bemba, the leader of the Liberation movement of Congo, at the ICC in the Hague
- Announcement by Cyriaque Gonda, the Minister of Communication and National reconciliation, of the imminent formation of a Government of national union
- Launch by UNICEF of a countrywide campaign against the leading three causes of infant mortality in CAR: measles, malaria and diarrhea.
Background and security
Presentation of the charges against Jean-Pierre Bemba
The Jean-Pierre Bemba hearing opens this Monday 12 January at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.
This audience, which will last until 15 January will allow the Preliminary Room III to determine if there exist sufficient pieces of evidence to justify a lawsuit against Jean-Pierre Bemba on the basis of charges retained by the Prosecutor of the ICC.
Jean Pierre Bemba is accused, in his capacity as the leader of the Liberation movement of Congo (MLC), to have contributed in an essential way to military operations in CAR, within the framework of an agreement with the former Central African President, Angel-Felix Patassé, which authorized combatants of the MLC to be sent to, and permanently stationed in, CAR. Jean-Pierre Bemba is accused of being penally responsible for rapes, acts of torture and murders, constitutive of crimes against humanity and war crimes, as well as assaults on the dignity of the person, in particular of humiliating and degrading treatments, and looting of cities and localities, also constitutive of war crimes.
For the International federation of the leagues of human rights (IFLH), this audience represents a decisive stage allowing the victims of the conflict which devastated the Central African Republic in 2002-2003 to finally obtain justice.
A government of national union expected soon
The Central African Minister of Communication and National reconciliation, Cyriaque Gonda, announced Thursday in Bangui that a government of national union would be formed soon in accordance with the recommendations of the National dialogue held recently in country.
“It is a government which must include political entities, civil society, the parties of the presidential majority, the party in power, and the opposition parties. The Head of State and the Prime Minister are in full consultation, and I assure you that the Government of national union will be set up soon”, declared Cyriaque Gonda.
He also added that a stable and lasting peace remains the priority of all these consultations, so that the country could finally develop after decades of unproductive conflicts.
By the end of January 2009, the monitoring committee of the Libreville agreements will be replaced by a steering committee on disarmament, indicated the Central African Minister.
The trade unions want a new government
The five main trade-unions of CAR, the Christian Confederation of the Workers of CAR (CCTC), the National Confederation of the Workers of CAR (CNTC), the Free Trade-Union Organization of the Public Sector (OSLP), the General union of the Workers of CAR (UGTC) and the Trade Union of the Workers of CAR (USTC) have requested in a press release on 6 January, that all the entities who took part in the inclusive political dialogue form a government within eight days.
If this does not happen, as a protest, the trade unions announced that there would be a complete stop of work which will be observed throughout the country, the duration of which will be given later.
The trade unions have stated that the delay in the installation of this government constitutes not only a violation of one of the recommendations of the inclusive political dialogue, but also a barrier to the easing of tensions in the national sociopolitical climate, at a time when the workers of the public sector await durable solutions for their legitimate concerns.
The inclusive political dialogue which proceeded in Bangui from 8 to 20 December 2008 had recommended the installation of a consensus government of national union. However, the dissensions which have occurred between various parties on the interpretation of certain recommendations have until now prevented the establishment of such a government.
Current events
Gift of drugs by the CNLS
On January 7, the Coordinator of the National Committee of the Fight against AIDS (CNLS) gave drugs to the Ministry for the Public Health. These products, worth 2 billion FCFA, have been financed by the World Bank and are intended for activities including voluntary screening, the prevention of parent-child transmission of HIV, transfusion safety, anti-retroviral treatment and the management of biomedical waste.
The donation has been given within the framework of a project dedicated to the fight against AIDS based on a partnership between the Central African Government, through the CNLS, and the World Bank.
Campaign to reduce infant mortality
A girl in Bossangoa waits to be immunized
at a health centre
On 6 January, in the the town of Bossangoa in north-western CAR, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) launched an extensive integrated campaign to be carried out throughout Central African Republic, one of largest that the country has ever seen.
This ten-day-long campaign will fight the three leading causes of infant mortality in CAR, namely malaria, measles and diarrhea caused by a bad hygiene.
“Here are the three diseases which kill many children, and this week we will go to every corner of the country to give the children and their families the means necessary to prevent further deaths.” declared Mahimbo Mdoe, Representative of UNICEF in CAR.
Nearly 800,000 children under the age of five will be vaccinated against measles, receive free bars of soap to help prevent diarrhea, and receive a treated mosquito net to eliminate malaria, currently the leading cause of death among children in this country.
Nearly a year has been spent preparing for the campaign, including pre-positioning equipment throughout the country, training over 1,750 health volunteers and identifying 855 sites where vaccinations will occur.
Throughout the country, hospitals and health centres have reported long lines of mothers and children waiting for vaccinations.
“One of my children died from malaria and my other children get sick all the time because they are bitten all night long by mosquitoes,” said Ruth, 25, a mother of five children in Bossangoa.
Although every city and significant village in the country now has a site where volunteers administer shots and distribute soap and mosquito nets, reaching farms and hamlets deep in the bush remains a challenge.
At this point, UNICEF has set a goal of reaching 80 per cent of children in CAR with the campaign.
For more information: ejramamonjisoa@unicef.org
Contact Us:
Gisèle Willybiro | willybiro@un.org | +236 75 54 90 31
