In-depth/Centrafrique, a collapsed state for a while Sandra Martin-White There is a word in French, quite with no equivalent in English, out of havoc, that De Gaulle used to describe situations of disorder, it is CHIENLIT. What means deregulation, large-scale disorder. Peoples gathered together, living in harmony and in lasting peace, must impose legal and social rules on themselves. Otherwise, individual interests and political clientelism practically automatically take over. The core of a modern Nation are civil and criminal laws, with application of their tools such as the police and the military. It is also what underlies unity and solidarity of its people: Taxes in their various forms. RESPECT OF COMMON RULES Constitution, being sacred in West, it is not like in Africa, specially in French-speaking Africa. It is important to point out that armed individuals showing disrespect for the Constitution and laws of the Republic with seizure of power by force, consequently, flout this basic rule of the living together peacefully. This entails deregulation at all levels: the political, security, social and humanitarian situation... If that isnt sacred, then the word CONSTITUTION has no meaning. Too, that is a door opened to disorder that putschists can regulate by a backward dictatorship. Because, individuals who take the power by force can only be a tyrant or dictator to be fearfully obeyed. Because not being elected, not needed or wanted by the popular will. CONSEQUENCES Miasmas, year after year accumulate till a morbid point. Deregulations in countries under coups détat are not necessarily the most visible immediately. Only warning signs can been captured. The powerful dictator to legitimize himself, after his coup, hold elections that he could not lose. Examples are legion throughout francophone African countries: Idriss Déby in Chad, Sassou NGuesso in Congo, Obiang Nguema en Equatorial Guinea, Compaoré in Burkina, etc.. Constitutions became incidental papers, such individuals, not only fail to respect them, but fiddle them for their self-perpetuation on power. This is the will of the people Sassou in Brazzaville said quite seriously, or That is what God wants heard in Yaoundé to perpetuate Biya. Nevertheless, These banana republics do not develop. Involved in widespread corruption, vacuum in economic policy; fragile nations, so they will remain at high risk for western predators. CENTRAFRIQUE SYNTHESIS OF AFRICAN ISSUES The Central African Republic dived into depths of hell, to be frank, from March 29th, 1959, date of the murdering of its founder Bathélémy Boganda by the French secret service. Since its artificial independence until today, the falling into chaos is never-ending. Boganda killed, the country lost its important factor in national unity. Thus, this country became the playground of terrorism, rebellion and predation. Repeated Coups have made the country the world champion in the type. From Bokassa to Djotodia, CAR still endured dictatorship. With the exception of Ange Félix Patassé, CAR has never had an elected President. Since then, the country has been continually threatened by uprisings. Effect of the desecration of the Constitution. As said in Sango : Si lo sara ni, ë kwe ë lingbi ti sara ni = If he can do it, so do we! Ills of the bad governance, scattered in other countries, are being synthesized in CAR. Under the leadership of Bokassa, cracks were quite invisible. Emperor Bokassa treating the country as personal-use property, and turned it into a large military camp, on what he kept an eye on everything, in particular, on Agitators, the who would have the bad idea to act like him, their Coup of the New Years Eve. The ferocity of Bokassa kept down desires of military putsch, with Frances strong support, until 1979. France the smokescreen of dictators At the Franco-African summit of 1990, President François Mitterrand announced that French aid would be proportionate to the degree of democratization of the recipient country. Our colleague M.P Coppens wrote already months ago: And then suddenly, like mushrooms, grew in Kinshasa as in Bangui and everywhere, the famous ‘national conferences’. Assemblies that did not fulfil any great purpose, just talk shop That seems laughable if we recall writtings of the famous French philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau, in The Social Contract : « Strictly, there never has been a real democracy, and never will be. It may be added that there is no government so subject to civil wars and intestine agitations as democratic or popular government, because there is none which has so strong and continual a tendency to change to another form, or which demands more vigilance and courage for its maintenance as it is. Under such a constitution above all, the citizen should arm himself with strength and constancy, and say, every day of his life, what a virtuous Count Palatine said in the Diet of Poland: Malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium. It is unimaginable that the people should remain continually assembled to devote their time to public affairs. It is not good that the person who makes laws should execute them, nor that the body of the people should turn its attention from general considerations towards particular matters. Nothing is more dangerous than the influence of private interests in public affairs, and the abuse of law by the government is a lesser evil than the corruption of the legislative body, to which particular considerations inevitably lead. The substance of the state will be changed, with no possibility of reform. If a people were never to misuse government it would never misuse independence; a people that always governed well would not need to be governed. » Rousseau duly highlighted issues of the good practice of democracy. It is a constant battle that African dictators manipulate for their own profits. Self-appointed African Heads of State just adjust themselves to the situations, but not changing their bad habits. No longer single parties? That may be so, let us try the multiparty system, but with the almighty presidential party, others will just be bit players. The most clear example of this trickery in CAR is the KNK Party (Kwa na Kwa), the all-powerful Party of former President François Bozizé. National Assemblies are required? Okay, but with deputies used as potted plants, links of the unflagging presidential will. François Bozizé had the temerity to act both as Deputy and head of state - a thing never been seen before! With such game of clientelism, that heads to incompetence, political manipulation and legal nihilism. The ruling parties do not train individuals to get skills able to develop the country both socially and economically. Lack of national safety National Armed Forces in Africa, and more specifically in Centrafrique have only the name of Army, National is a big joke. In fact, the regimes in powers first concern is not to ensure and to strengthen the security and military apparatus in their respective countries, but rather to use such forces for their own benefits; turning national armed forces into personal praetorian guard. But, as result, according to what 7sur7.cd stated on it: ....Thus, when a simple skirmish with armed rebel elements erupts, these personal praetorian guard immediately fled into the bush, because not trained in the most recent techniques of war. In addition, it was found that majority of these praetorian forces come from socio-cultural environments close to those in power, very exposed, malleable and opened to corruption and impunity. In CAR, under military dictatorships, only the capital Bangui had been more or less secured and stabilised, because being the headquarters of the current monarch. The provinces have been left to fend for themselves. Considered to be territories outside the law, a sort of free zone for rebellions, brigandage and criminality. In early 90 the zaraguinas phenomenon - commonly known as high way robbers - is worsened by the context of poverty and idleness, which encourages young people to opt for illegal methods of survival. This provides the sad but irrefutable proof. Provinces, ferment of civil unrest Armed rebel groups proliferate in CAR. Local warlords call the shots in every province, deem themselves to be above the law and act with complete impunity. Mixture of genres not helping, who is able to make the difference between a rebel and a soldier of FACA ( Central African Armed Forces)? A high-ranking Gendarmerie officer from Bangui recently declared: We partner with Anti-Balaka militias, there are our fellow countrymen. Rebels specifically mentioned and quoted as the enemies of peace, are part of the government in Bangui. It is not really with such collusion with people in power that Centrafrique will be able to lawfully be pacified. Everyone can turn tail at each time. In CAR, one can be a rebel, and at the same time also member of the government. What DE GAULLE called the chienlit ! Provinces, still forgotten Since December 2012, date of the bloody deployment of the Seleka coalition in the country, it was the provinces, let down by the authorities that paid the heavy price for committed abuses and murders. In this catastrophic situation, in all logic, the close attention of Bangui was required. But nothing at all came from the capital. The power of transition shuts itself away in Bangui, and disregards provinces. The current interim president of the transition Mrs Samba-Panza dislikes to travel in provinces. A real paradox for a Head of state supposed to represent the all Nation. The country is already virtually broken. A Southern region is under Anti-Balakas control, and a Northern region that the Seleka coalition took over, with military headquarters at Bambari, openly and publicly. This is a slap in the face to politicians in Bangui, worse, a two-fingered gesture to Samba-Panza, and also to the many international peacekeepers forces in the country. Anti-Balakas gunmen put up illegal barriers everywhere, rob travelers. Does that disturb the power? Does that disturb the international forces (Sangaris and Misca)? Gen. Mokoko head chief of the late Misca confessed to us: We cannot keep them under control. we do not have the means to manage that. MINUSCA FACING A HUGE CHALLENGE Is the little magic trick transforming the green of the MISCA into the blue of MINUSCA going to make a difference? There is room for doubt, as long as, the heart of the problem which is POLITICAL is not addressed. Centrafrique through eons of time is a collapsed STATE. Seleka just came to finish it. Next after is only consequence...... Politics must be the top priority for the MINUSCA. It is clear that his leader gen. Babacar Gaye is keenly aware of the issue. For weeks he increased visits in province, unlike Mrs Samba-Panza, who chose to do some shopping in Paris (France). MINUSCA must break the oukases of the repeated rebellions. It would be unacceptable to see rebels inside the government. It would be unacceptable to see rebels leaders wander the whole territory with total impunity, without being brought to justice. More again, to see rebels wearing the uniform of FACA without being worried. Armel Sayo was in Brazzaville wearing the uniform of FACA. But, he is now a rebel. It appeared that struggled nobody - by now, he became a government minister, a kind of bonus for acting illegally. It is necessary to break down this deliberate vagueness by beheading what fueled the murderous agitations. The military dimension The police deployment in the field has to perform the substantive political work. The power in Bangui, as we cannot stop repeating has to be under constant supervision, so much it does not stop flirting with high risk by unconsciousness, acting only under fear of rebels, and already showing its own mediocrity. State Power in Centrafrique simply does not exist. Still, everything remains to be done, to be developed. Clever Hervé Ladsous The UN Head of Operations has spelled out the strategy. The MINUSCA troops, unlike those of SANGARIS and late MISCA will be spread in several military bases all over the territory, by creating, theorically, an effective coverage of the country. In theory, because at this point in time, MINUSCA does not got yet means to pursue its policy. We still dont know when the planned 12.000 troops will be there to complete the programme. In addition, the vagueness which surrounds the conduct of French of SANGARIS is disruptive and confusing. In principle, they would have to be pulled out imminently, depriving the country of a strength of over two thousand men. And we can only wonder about the French refusal to let SANGARIS wearing the UN blue beret! Of course, for France, the SANGARIS operation costs 800,000 euros per day, but, for mediocre results. If the SANGARIS pulled out of CAR now, that would be a stunning failure! The social aspect The famous so called Rambo, a former low ranked officer of FACA, since becoming one of leaders of the Anti-Balaka militias introduced the problematic. These guys steal, extort, because they have no job. If they can get a job, they will return home. But how are they expected to find a job, the economy of the country collapsed? It is a bit like squaring the circle. Ban Ki-Moon the Secretary-General of the United Nations warned lately: There is an urgent need to find $ 276 million for CAR, he said. Anyway, for over 15 months, it has been promised over and over; way up to $ 500 million, but it has never come to pass. But in reality, the international community, apart from the fact that usually, it does not care about troubles in Africa, more, does not understand the ins and outs of the central african crisis. Trying to picture the enemies, Who is against who? And why? Irrationality of central africans behaviour is a mystery. So, from there, International opinion which influences the mainstream of international organisations does not care! That turns the UN needy concerning Centrafrique. The challenge before MINUSCA is therefore huge. And they should not expect any kind of support from the Government of the Central African Republic. They are just passive consumers, hobos, who long ago, set up the begging of the international assistance as method of governance. Disponible en Français © September 2014 LNC lanouvellecentrafrique.info/en-profondeurcentrafrique-un-etat-effondre-depuis-des-lustres/
Posted on: Thu, 18 Sep 2014 11:31:56 +0000
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