The past six months have seen positive movement in central Africa. Several countries have turned back to constitutional order. For example, Chad adopted a new constitution last December and held presidential elections on May 6.
São Tomé and Príncipe advanced justice and security reforms while Gabon held an inclusive national dialogue in April and formed a National Constitutional Committee to draft a constitution and an electoral code. This prompted the Economic Community of Central African States, or ECCAS, to lift sanctions against Gabon and welcome it back into the fold. This is important because “Facilitating intraregional trade will play a crucial role in the promotion of stability and the prevention of conflicts in this subregion,” according to the UN.
That said, the region faces some serious obstacles, not least of which are strife and violence. “The United States is particularly concerned by the effect of the Sudan crisis on Chad and the Central African Republic, with both countries collectively hosting over 600,000 new Sudanese refugees,” said U.S. Alternative Representative for Special Political Affairs at the UN, Robert Wood.
“The United States continues to provide robust humanitarian aid to help ensure the needs of refugees, host communities, and others are met,” he said. “We will continue working with key partners, particularly those within the region, to press the warring parties to lay down their arms, ensure unhindered humanitarian assistance, and resume peace talks.”
Meanwhile, the United States applauds progress toward stability and conflict prevention. “In Chad, we welcome the largely peaceful conduct of the presidential election on May 6,” said Ambassador Wood.
“U.S. assistance is highly dependent on Gabon moving toward free and fair elections with inclusive electoral processes and establishing in a timely manner a democratically elected government that represents the Gabonese people.”
In the “Central African Republic, the United States calls on the government and opposition to engage constructively and transparently ahead of the country’s first local and regional elections since 1988,” said Ambassador Wood.
“These elections are a critical element of decentralization and building local institutions responsive to citizens’ need.”
“The United States believes it is vital to support the democratic and peaceful aspirations of the people of Central Africa,” said Ambassador Wood. “The United States stands ready to continue our support for the democratic and peaceful aspirations of the people of Central Africa.”
