'It's easy to get into war, but difficult to get out of,' says CAR president amid peace efforts

02 March 2019 - 15:22 By RAY NDLOVU in Bangui
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The CAR was plunged into a civil war in 2013 when former president Francois Bozize, a Christian, was overthrown by the mainly Muslim Seleka rebels.
The CAR was plunged into a civil war in 2013 when former president Francois Bozize, a Christian, was overthrown by the mainly Muslim Seleka rebels.
Image: STEPHAN HOFSTATTER

In Bangui, the capital city of the Central African Republic (CAR), the Ledger Plaza hotel is the only oasis of luxury in the war-torn country.

At the hotel there is reliable electricity, internet, a large swimming pool, a casino and a nightclub.

Guests at the hotel, who comprise mostly of foreigners, diplomats and officials from the UN peacekeeping mission in the country, can also enjoy, a variety of imported wines from France - the former colonial master - and an array of three-course meals.

The hotels rates are only for the deep-pocketed; it charges about 163,000 CFA Franc ($279) for a standard room and just over 1.9 million CFA Franc (about $3,300) for the presidential suite per night.

The World Bank estimates that 75% of the country’s 4.6 million population live on less than $1.90 per day, the international poverty line. Yet the country has vast deposits of diamonds, gold and uranium.

Outside the hotel’s premises, the luxury and comfort ends.

Instead, the scars of war are visible on the streets of Bangui.

On the streets, armed soldiers and police in blue vehicles marked "Gendarmerie" are common and carry out patrols.

Also common is the sight of the white armoured vehicles of the UN and its signature white Toyota Land Cruisers. 

Last year in November, the UN Security Council decided to extend its peacekeeping mission in CAR by a year. In total, 11,650 UN soldiers and 2,080 police are on the ground.

A diplomat from the CAR who spoke off the record remarked that "the UN actually runs this country". 

There is also a range of UN-linked groups such as World Food Programme, Food and Agriculture Organisation and UNICEF which run various aid programmes.

Along the main road, hundreds of people sell an assortment of wares that include fish, plantain, bread and cassava to make a living. The fish is caught in the Oui Bangui river, which separates CAR from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

On the few tarred roads old yellow taxis and the signature "boda boda" motorcycles weave dangerously through traffic.

"Getting into war is very easy, but getting out of it is another thing and is very difficult," President Faustin Archange Touadéra told TimesLIVE at the presidential offices on Friday.

Touadéra won a popular vote in 2016 on the back of a pledge to deliver peace in the country. After peace, his sights are set on the economic transformation of the country—which has only one university and a power station which produces only 100MW of power.

For now, the locals seem happy to forego the luxury on offer at the hotel so long as they enjoy peace and go about their daily lives. 

Several locals said there had been relative calm over the last few months in Bangui—with no sound of gunshots on the streets for nearly three months - and many could walk safely at night.

Map of Central African Republic. File photo
Map of Central African Republic. File photo
Image: Google Maps

The efforts to stitch peace and reconciliation have gained significant ground under Touadéra’s watch. His government last month in Khartoum, Sudan, signed a peace deal with the 14 armed groups.

This week, Touadéra also appointed a new prime minister, Firmin Ngrebada, who was accepted by the armed groups, an endorsement which has paved the way for the formation of a new government that includes officials from the armed groups.

The CAR was plunged into a civil war in 2013 when former president Francois Bozize, a Christian, was overthrown by the mainly Muslim Seleka rebels.

South Africa’s resident ambassador to the CAR, Boniswa Ramalebana, described the country as  the "heart of the continent" and said it was important to restore stability to the country.

"As a member of the UN Security Council, South Africa’s position is that we should assist the CAR, as it is on the UN Security Council agenda, in its efforts to find peace," he said.

The efforts for peace, or "siriri" in the local language, among citizens is largely being galvanised through music and sport.

South African songstress Yvonne Chaka Chaka will headline a peace concert on Saturday at the national sports stadium in the capital. 

Chaka Chaka said her participation in the concert was aimed at motivating young people to drop their weapons of war in exchange for peace.

"We also know that in war, it’s the women and children that suffer the most. The peace concert is about bringing everyone in this great nation together," she said.

The organisers of the peace concert, the JM Busha 54 Initiative, which on Saturday morning also hosted a marathon, said Chaka Chaka was a global role model and would be well received by the citizens.

"Without peace there is no development. The CAR is the size of France and Belgium combined, but with less people. It is as rich as any other country. While here we are on a humanitarian expedition for the betterment of the people," said Joseph Makamba Busha, the managing director of the JM Busha Investment Group, which is also the parent company of the initiative.


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