UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations visits CAR

UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix visited Bambari and Bangui, Central African Republic.

Lacroix’s field mission in Bambari, capital of Ouaka, allowed him to discuss and listen to local authorities and the population on the activities carried out by MINUSCA as part of the implementation of its mandate.

He also visited the Bambari Court of Appeal, built and equipped by MINUSCA, and spoke with civil society organizations and the platform of women engaged in politics.

He said, “The impression is encouraging, positive of course, there are still challenges, people still talk to me about certain areas, there is still insecurity, the need to continue working to encourage development, entrepreneurship, private initiatives, promoting human rights, the role and ownership of women, the participation of women in the political process. Of course, all these challenges exist but the general impression is that there is a trajectory which is very encouraging.”

Today (19 Dec) Lacroix, accompanied by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Chief of MINUSCA, Valentine Rugwabiza, met the President of the National Assembly, Simplice Mathieu Sarandji, and members of the parliamentary office.

Lacroix said, “We took an overview of the work carried out, the progress, which is undeniable, which I was able to see on the ground by going to Bambari yesterday, in terms of security, in terms of strengthening the presence of the Central African State, in terms of progress on the path to development and sustainable stabilization. We also noted an excellent relationship between the national representation and the United Nations. We share the same orientations, and we also discussed the challenges that remain to be overcome, the challenges that remain to move forward and make further progress in terms of security.”

They also talked about the strengthening of the presence of the State and the electoral deadlines of next year