Security situation in Central African Republic strill "precarious"

The security situation in the Central African Republic, which is rebuilding
after a civil war, remains “precarious” and international support for the
country is crucial to consolidating stability, United Nations
Secretary-General Kofi Annan said in a report to the Security Council
released on 9 January. Mr. Annan also said that despite the fact that “the
overall human rights situation was slowly improving,” flagrant violations
still occurred.

Last month, Mr. Annan extended the mandate of the United Nations
Peacebuilding Support Office in the Central African Republic (BONUCA) until
the end of 2006 at the request of the Government. And on 9 January’s
report, the Secretary-General repeated the need for the international
community to remain engaged in the country. “The immensity of the task to
be accomplished is beyond the capacity of the Central African Republic
alone, which is still recovering from the effects of the politico-military
crises and social tensions it has so recently undergone,” the
Secretary-General said. “Armed gangs continue to interfere with
agricultural and commercial activities and precipitate significant
population displacements towards Chad and Cameroon,” Mr. Annan added.

The report also said the crisis in Darfur, in neighbouring Sudan, had made
“the security situation all the more worrisome” in the Central African
Republic, while developments in other African countries could also have an
impact. “If the disturbing military and humanitarian developments in some
neighbouring countries should escalate they might also destabilize the
Central African Republic, given its geographical position in central
Africa,” Mr. Annan warned.