In the shadow of six surrounding neighbors burdened by their own problems sits the Central African Republic, a country that is intervening by the country, which receives relatively little attention, but which has been plagued by instability and conflict for years .
The Central African Republic is once again enduring the acute instability of a renewed, renewed civil war that has displaced hundreds of thousands of people. Despite the intervention of United Nations peacekeepers, Russian military advisers and Rwandan troops, peace is still elusive.
Almost a third of all Central Africans have been displaced in recent years – including 200,000 who have fled a difficult election since December alone.
Here are basic questions and answers about the country’s history and what causes its dysfunction.
Where is the Central African Republic?
About the size of Texas, with a population of about 5 million, it is basically in the middle of the African continent, clockwise surrounded by Chad, Sudan, South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo and Cameroon. All are home to refugees from the Central African Republic who have fled chaos in their homeland.
The colonial name, Ubangi-Shari, stood for the land that stretches across the catchments of the Ubangi and Shari rivers. The name changed during the decolonization period of French equatorial Africa during the fifties.
What is causing the fighting in the country now?
The latest turmoil can be traced to elections on December 27, which tried to disrupt rebel groups. The president, Faustin-Archange Touadéra, won a second term when rebels held attacks and occupied large towns. Few people outside the capital, Bangui, were able to vote safely due to rebel violence, and the rebels even reached Bangui. The president’s opponents accused him of fraud.
The rebels are an unlikely marriage between the remnants of two broader and previously antagonistic armed groups: the Seleka, which means alliance and is a coalition of majority Muslim fighters from the north, along with some Chadian and Sudanese; and mostly Christian vigilante militias who call themselves anti-balaka, sometimes translated as anti-machete. Both groups are accused of committing atrocities against civilians, including rape and mass murder.
Why did rebel groups that were enemies recently band together?
The exact reasons are unclear. But they merged into an alliance called the Coalition of Patriots for Change. They are believed to have the support of a former president, François Bozizé. He took power during a coup in 2003 and was ousted by the Seleka in 2013. He is incompetent to run in the December election and believes he is hiding and facing UN sanctions for his support of anti-Balaka groups.
It is not clear who the coalition represents, but they present themselves as a legitimate political force. Abakar Sabone, a minor warlord who is a spokesman for the coalition, said in a telephone interview: “We would have taken over power if that was what we wanted, but we are giving Touadéra a second chance at a to open inclusive discussion.
“But if he tries to be stubborn,” he continues, “then we will go to the capital and bring him out.”
What is everyday life like now?
Bangui is under siege. Rebels block the access routes and restrict deliveries of supplies. A bag of flour in February tripled the price of a month earlier.
Alhadj Sali Abdou, 56, who lost the supermarket when the war broke out in 2013, now earns about $ 3 a day selling baguettes outside his home. He said he had never seen things so bad as now.
“I do not want to say that I am completely desperate,” he said, adding that if he could restore peace, he could get back on his feet.
With so many displaced people, families are camping in churches. Many do not have food, extra clothes, bedding or cooking utensils. Humanitarian groups working in the country say they have also faced rebel attacks, and that some no longer work there.
Motorcycles, the vehicles that most residents of the capital prefer, are banned because the rebels use them, so people often find themselves stranded.
How long has the Central African Republic been unstable?
Outsiders have long exploited the area that is now the Central African Republic. When sultans ruled, it was plagued by slave traders. Then French colonialists rented it out to companies that forced local people to work for them. About half of the population died during the 50 years after the French explorers first arrived there.
The independence leader Barthélemy Boganda died in 1959 in a mysterious plane crash, one year before full independence. And since then, the country has rarely been at peace, plagued by political rivalry. In 1965, President David Dacko was overthrown by a military commander, with French support. Jean-Bedel Bokassa, who was later proclaimed emperor, ruled for 14 years and was accused of atrocities, including the murder of schoolchildren for not wearing uniforms with his image. Bokassa was convicted of murder and sentenced to death and was later sentenced to life in prison. He died in 1996.
After the Bokassa era, the country had a succession of coups, mutiny and more French military interventions. The United Nations has deployed a peacekeeping force there since 2014 to help protect civilians from antagonists.
Is the instability related to the country’s diamonds and gold?
It can be. The country’s great agricultural and pastoral potential is undeveloped and its people are among the poorest in the world. Nearly three-quarters live below the international poverty line of $ 1.90 per day. The government has no control over about two-thirds of the country, including some large mining areas.
Rebels group diamonds and gold and collect taxes from miners and other people in the trade chains. They therefore have a financial interest in keeping things the way they are, and in preventing the government from gaining more control.
What is the government doing to the rebel alliance?
President Touadéra has enlisted the help of Russia to train soldiers in the Central African Republic, and a Russian is the president’s security adviser. Some see it as part of the expansion of Russian military influence in Africa.
In December, the government of Mr. Touadéra asked Russia for more aid in light of a rebel offensive. Three hundred Russian reinforcements were sent – Russia said it was military advisers. Rwandan soldiers have been sent to help, in addition to the many Rwandan peacekeepers in the country at the United Nations.
The 13,500 UN peacekeepers are supposed to protect civilians and prevent armed groups from inflicting violence on the population. They helped secure the election but were powerless to disarm the rebels and were often subjected to rebel attacks. Some have also been accused of sexual abuse.
It remains unclear how long the costly peacekeeping mission will remain in the country.
Is there hope?
The government forces, with their foreign allies, began repelling the rebels, who in early February agreed to a ceasefire and voluntarily withdrew from the western city of Bouar, which they had taken a month earlier.
The impending trial of two anti-balaka leaders at the International Criminal Court in The Hague is the court’s first prosecution of crimes committed in the Central African Republic.
The accused, Patrice-Edouard Ngaïssona and Alfred Yékatom, are the highest anti-balaka leaders ever tried. It could begin to fill what Human Rights Watch called a ‘justice shell’ that has created a climate of impunity in the country. Mahamat Said, a Seleka leader, was handed over to the ICC in January.
Ruth Maclean reports from Dakar, Senegal. Moussa Abdoulaye reported from Bangui, Central African Republic, and Mady Camara from Dakar.