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The President of the Central African Republic, Faustin-Archange Touadera, welcomes the prospects of a new peace agreement while he addresses the US Peace Institute in Washington. By Shaun TANDON (AFP)
The President of the Central African Republic on Tuesday expressed his optimism about the success of the last peace agreement in the country torn apart by the conflict after its decision to form an inclusive government.
During a visit to Washington, President Faustin-Archange Touadera said that the agreement – the eighth peace attempt in six years – addressed the crucial issues of power-sharing and accounting for rights violations. of the man.
"This is not a foregone conclusion, but we think it could be the final deal if we all work with determination to put it in place," he told the American Institute. Peace.
"This agreement has something more than the others because all stakeholders had time to discuss all its key points," he said.
This resource-rich country has been torn apart by violence and population displacement since 2013, when a predominantly Muslim rebel group known as Seleka overthrew President Francois Bozizé, which provoked the rise of a militia. predominantly Christian.
Fearing a Rwandan genocide, the former head of the French colony intervened militarily under UN mandate.
Touadera's elected government signed in February an agreement in Sudan with 14 armed groups – which control most of the country – and a month later, all parties reached an agreement on the formation of a government inclusive.
But since then, the deal has faced setbacks, with rebel groups arguing over the power they will have in the government.
Touadera, however, said that the agreement had settled the big issues, including the insistence of some fighters that they would not be prosecuted for acts of violence.
"It is true that there were difficult moments in the negotiations, especially on the issue of impunity – granting an amnesty – and on the sharing of power," he said.
"But I think that by respecting the parameters, all parties understood that we can not have peace without putting aside the question of justice," he said.
Touadera is scheduled to meet in Washington with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and hopes to encourage US investment in this impoverished country.
Western powers, particularly France, have worried about the growing influence in Russia, which has sent military trainers with close ties to mining companies.
Touadera defended Russia's involvement, saying it had been done openly, with the UN Security Council granting it an exemption from the country's arms embargo.
"There is room for everyone in the Central African Republic," he said.
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