Instability in the Central African Republic

Although the CAR has a history of instability, this is the first time that religious divisions would play a highly visible part in the conflict. The long running crisis in the country deteriorated sharply a fortnight ago, resulting in violence between Muslims and Christians in which hundreds have so far been killed. Many Nigerians are […]

Although the CAR has a history of instability, this is the first time that religious divisions would play a highly visible part in the conflict. The long running crisis in the country deteriorated sharply a fortnight ago, resulting in violence between Muslims and Christians in which hundreds have so far been killed. Many Nigerians are among the victims, with more others taking refuge at the Nigerian embassy in Bangui. Hundreds of thousands of people are internally displaced. Landlocked and surrounded by equally unstable neighbours, such as South Sudan (where a crushed attempted coup two days ago has led to some 600 deaths) and the Democratic Republic of Congo, conflicts in the CAR have tended to feed off each other in cycles.
The backdrop to the current crisis was the campaign launched by Seleka rebels against the regime of Francois Bozize from the north in December 2012, capturing a number of strategic towns and heading for Bangui the capital. Attempts to stop their advance failed despite the presence of troops from South Africa and other neighbouring states.  Following Bozize’s ouster, Michel Djotodia was installed as the interim president in March this year, the first Muslim head of state of a country with a Christian majority.
The new regime has been unable to establish order throughout the country. Its Seleka militias who are predominantly Muslim have been accused of indiscriminate killings and brutalizing the population. A Christian militia that has sprouted has also equally been accused of engaging in revenge killings by targeting the minority Muslim community.    
Since it gained independence from France in 1960, CAR has been prone to coups with fairly frequent changes of government. The country gained notoriety for human rights violations during the reign of Jean Bedel-Bokassa, the self-styled emperor of Central African Empire who himself was ousted in a coup.
The French have a history of propping up unsavoury francophone African leaders to protect their own interests.  This time around French president Francois Hollande has been stressing that France’s intervention was for ‘humanitarian’ considerations, although he immediately inserted himself in the CAR’s political affairs by declaring that Djotobia would not be part of any future administration.  For the second time during the year, the French have been called upon to intervene in another of its former colony to restore law and order, a repeat of what happened in Mali.
Only two days after the Security Council resolution authorizing intervention in the CAR, Hollande convened a Franco-African security summit in Paris with about 40 African leaders in attendance, including Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan. During the summit the possibility of establishing an African intervention force was discussed. It is long overdue for the AU to have a standby African force to intervene in African trouble spots when necessary, preventing opportunistic forays by foreign powers.
The United States has also promised logistical support in helping to fly African troops to Bangui. The Pentagon had already deployed Special Forces in the CAR thought to be one of the hideouts of the fugitive Ugandan rebel leader Joseph Kony of the Lord’s Resistance Army, wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on charges of crimes against humanity.
It would appear that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja was caught off guard by the scale of the CAR conflict, and was ipso facto slow to respond. The ministry and Nigeria’s mission in Bangui ought to have been more proactive in protecting Nigerians resident in that country.  What needs to be done now is the speedy evacuation of Nigerians at risk and stranded in the country. As the acknowledged leading African country, Nigeria cannot be complacent in the face of conflicts that plague the continent. It should engage more in preventive diplomacy to ensure that simmering crises are not allowed to get out of hand.
The French too must be wary of imposing a political agenda in CAR that may only worsen the situation.