Brussels, 02/04/2014 (Agence Europe) - Some 20 heads of state of Africa and Europe met in Brussels on Wednesday 2 April to discuss the Central African Republic at a mini-summit on the disastrous humanitarian and security situation in the country, under the joint chairmanship of Herman Van Rompuy, François Hollande and Mohamed Oul Abdel Aziz, the current president of the African Union.
In light of the recent flare-up of violence and killing in Bangui, all stressed the urgent need to take action and to step up aid efforts and military and police contributions, in response to the appeal launched by transitional President Catherine Samba-Panza, to re-establish stability and security in a fragile state where chaos reigns.
“The European Union, in coordination with its international partners, has decided to launch a military operation to help to re-establish security in the country. This will accompany the actions already undertaken in the humanitarian, political and stabilisation fields and in support of development. We also recently decided to reinforce our support to MISCA, with an additional contribution of €75 million from the African Peace Facility. The immediate priority remains the security and humanitarian situation. More efforts and contributions are needed to support the crucial work of MISCA, SANGARIS and, soon, EUFOR CAR, and in order to ensure that humanitarian aid gets where it is needed. Our objective in the medium and the longer term must continue to be the full re-establishment of the state structures”, declared Herman Van Rompuy at the start of the summit (our translation). He added that “the support of the international community to the new transitional authorities in CAR is vital to improve their chances of succeeding in their efforts to reconstruct the state and for national reconciliation, which must be started. It is this political process that we must firmly support ahead of the general and presidential elections in early 2015”.
The mini-summit was informed of the launch of the military force EUFOR CAR in Bangui (800 troops will be deployed), which was formally decided upon the day before and which French President François Hollande had the opportunity to inform the Central African president of at their meeting at the Elysée Palace on Tuesday 1 April. This European force, which aims to create the conditions for a secure environment in Bangui until such time as the baton can be passed on to the UN peacekeeping force, will ensure protection for the most vulnerable civilian populations and the freedom of movement of non-governmental organisations channelling aid. “Its deployment will be effective in the next few days as regards the first-level command elements. It will reach its interim operational capacity by the end of May”, General Philippe Pontiès, commander in chief of the operation, told the press on Tuesday. In order for EUFOR CAR to reach its full operational capacity, “we still need infantry capability to secure the sectors”, he added. The cost of this mission will be €25.9 million over 10 months.
Ban Ki- moon, Secretary General of the United Nations, presented those attending the mini-summit with the draft resolution to the UN Security Council on the peacekeeping operation, which will be voted on in mid-April for deployment on 15 September. This peacekeeping force will consist of up to 12,000 soldiers and police. He called for additional support to the African MISCA force (6,000 troops) in the period preceding the changeover.
“Transforming MISCA into a UN peacekeeping operation will take time. I thank the African Union for its major contribution, and I appreciate the EU's decision to deploy its force. These decisions are vital, but they are far from sufficient. The Central African population is suffering dreadful atrocities”, said the secretary general, urging all countries seriously to consider providing additional military and police forces and also the financial support which is so desperately needed.
“We must act fast to put an end to the killing, protect the civilian populations and prevent any further division of communities which have coexisted for generations. We must also channel more aid. The people of the Central African Republic have come together to build a new future. They can stabilise and develop their country, but we must help them”, he said.
Franco-German axis. Speaking to the press towards the end of the afternoon before the start of the EU-Africa Summit on security and peace, French President François Hollande said: “We have finally been able to launch this operation which is to be deployed. France is already on the ground. The European Union, including Germany, will supply military, financial and logistical resources”. Speaking alongside him, German Chancellor Angela Merkel added: “In Central Africa, France has taken the lead. Germany will follow suit with strategic air transport resources and more traditional development aid”. The crisis in the Central African Republic has left at least 2,000 people dead, more than 900 refugees and some 600,000 displaced persons since December 2013. (AN)