Horrific Cycle of Sectarian Violence in Central African Republic Must Stop,

Secretary-General Tells Ministerial Meeting

 

Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon’s message, as delivered by Abou Moussa, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Office for Central Africa, to the thirty-seventh ministerial meeting of the United Nations Standing Advisory Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa, in N’Djamena on 22 December:

I thank His Excellency President Mr. Idriss Déby Itno and the Government and people of the Republic of Chad for hosting the thirty-seventh ministerial meeting of the United Nations Standing Advisory Committee on security issues in Central Africa.  You have come together to further your efforts on critical issues discussed last August in Kigali and to address new challenges facing the subregion.

I remain extremely concerned about the situation in the Central African Republic and its impact on peace and security in the region.  The horrific cycle of violence and retaliation between Muslim and Christian communities must stop immediately.  I commend the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) and the African Union for their efforts to address the crisis.  I thank the French authorities for their active support to the African-led International Support Mission to the Central African Republic.  I also welcome this Committee’s adoption of the Kigali Declaration and I encourage you to keep the Central African Republic on your agenda.

I am encouraged by recent developments in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).  The conclusion of the Kampala Dialogue between the Government of the DRC and the 23 March Movement is a step towards ending the cycle of deadly conflict.  I urge the parties to begin implementation without delay and to fully respect their commitments.  I also urge all countries in the subregion to honour their commitment under the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework to neither harbour nor protect persons accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity, acts of genocide or acts of aggression, or persons falling under the United Nations sanctions regime.  I further call on all other armed groups in the DRC to lay down their weapons and pursue their objectives through peaceful political means.

I congratulate ECCAS for the recent agreement on anti-poaching activities signed with six wildlife conservation organizations.  I encourage this committee to build on this success and on its previous discussions to develop a multifaceted regional strategy to combat this scourge.  The United Nations Office for Central Africa stands ready to assist your efforts.

Today’s meeting is also a valuable opportunity to review our collective efforts to address the threat of terrorism and transnational crime in the Central Africa region.  I understand this issue will be further addressed at a seminar on counter-terrorism in Libreville next month.  I also encourage the continued pursuit of discussions to strengthen the implementation of the UN regional strategy on the Lord’s Resistance Army, in collaboration with the African Union.

Once again, thank you for your leadership and engagement.  I wish you great success in your deliberations.

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For information media • not an official record