Rebels Overthrow CAR President, Seize Bangui

Alex Hamasaki, Student InternLast Modified: 03:10 a.m. DST, 25 March 2013

BANGUI, Central African Republic - Rebels overthrew the Central African Republic’s President this Sunday. According to the Associated Press, the rebels, known as the coalition group Seleka,  declared that the country has “opened a new page in its history.”

President Francois Bozize fled while extra French troops have moved to secure the airport, officials said.

Two months prior to the overthrow, the rebels had signed a peace deal to allow the President to stay in power until 2016. However, the rebels began accusing the President of not following-up in his promises.

In the days leading up to the overthrow of Bozize, the rebels have performed several armed attacks. They captured the north city of Bambari and the area around Bria.

Ban Ki-Moon, UN Secretary-General condemned the attacks. According to the Uganda Daily Eye, Ban’s spokesperson said in a statement issued on Wednesday night saying, “These developments gravely undermine the peace agreements in place and the efforts of the international community to consolidate peace in the Central African Republic.” Ban urged for all parties to cease hostilities immediately.

The Central African Republic (CAR) President Bozize pleaded with Foreign Powers for help. He focused especially on seeking French assistance, as they were their former colonizer.

Paris declined military assistance.

Following the overthrow of Bozize by the rebels, Reuters reports that the French President’s office said that they would send more troops to protect their citizens. President François Hollande spoke with Ban and Chadian President Idriss Deby and reiterated his plea for restraint and dialogue between the parties.

Associated Press reports that Ban condemned the unconstitutional seizure of power and called for a restoration of constitutional order. He also expressed concern over reports of human rights violations.

Central African Republic, a nation of 4.5 million, has long been wracked by rebellions and power grabs. Bozize himself took power in 2003 following a rebellion, and his tenure has been marked by conflict with myriad armed groups.

The landlocked country has been wracked by rebellions and power grabs. CAR held their first multi-party democratic elections in 1933 which brought Ange-Felix Patasse to power. He lost popular support and was overthrown in 2003 by French-backed Bozize. Following Bozize’s re-election in 2011, his rule was plagued with corruption, underdevelopment, authoritarianism, and the creation of an open rebellion against Bozize’s government by an alliance of armed opposition factions known as Seleka.

In December of 2012, Seleka launched its offensive, accusing Bozize of reneging on a peace deal and demanded that he step down.

Seleka signed a ceasefire agreement and joined a power-sharing agreement government on 11 January 2013 and dropped their demands for Bozize to resign. However, on 23 January 2013, the ceasefire was broken and the government blamed Seleka, Seleka blaming the government for failing to honor the terms of the power-sharing agreement.

By March 24, rebels entered Bangui and took over the Presidential Palace. According to GlobalVoices, Michel Djotodia has declared himself as president of CAR. This information remains unconfirmed by other news sources.

The African Union condemned Seleka’s actions and announced a travel ban and assets freeze against actors involved in violating humanitarian rights or the January peace agreement, reports CNN.

The office of President Hollande said in a statement that some South African soldiers were killed in clashes that lead up to the overthrow of Bozize. UN spokeswoman Uwolowulakana Ikavi said that UN offices and some residences of UN personnel were looted.

Meanwhile in CAR, Seleka rebels urged citizens to remain calm and to prepare themselves to welcome rebel forces into the country, CNN reports.

The recent events highlight the problems of Bozize’s government. CAR is one of the poorest countries in the world, and among the ten poorest countries in Africa. According to the Human Development Index (HDI) CAR received a 0.343, which gives the country a rank of 179 out of 187 countries within their data.

HDI is a composite statistic of life expectancy, education, and income that ranks countries into four tiers of human development. Countries with ratings near 1 indicates high human development, while ratings near 0 indicate low human development.

Additionally, a 2009 Human Rights Report by the US Department of States notes that CAR’s human rights record remained poor, with concerns over numerous government abuses.

The take-over indicates the desperation of the country and its citizens. Without the improvement of the government, Bozize and others will find that peace will be difficult to negotiate with Seleka rebels.

Follow Alex Hamasaki on Twitter Twitter: @nahmias_report Student Intern: @aghamasaki

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A Coup for a Coup | Amadou Toumani Touré

Ayanna Nahmias, Editor-in-ChiefLast Modified: 12:49 PM EDT, 22 March 2012

Former President AmadouToure

BAMAKO, Mali - President Amadou Toumani Touré has been deposed following a coup d'etat by soldiers who are members of the National Committee for the Restoration of Democracy and State (CNRDR). In the video below, Lt. Amadou Konare spoke in French to deliver news of the success of their overthrow of the government.

"The CNRDR ... has decided to assume its responsibilities by putting an end to the incompetent regime which has failed to protect our people.”

The military usurpers have dissolved institutions, suspended the constitution and imposed a curfew "until further notice". Captain Amadou Sanogo,who has been appointed as the president of the newly formed CNRDR, appeared on state television to urge calm and condemn any pillaging.

As with most African countries where the government is ousted by a military coup, these types of transitions are pivotal and most often lead to brutal regimes that refuse to relinquish power even after they have achieved their stated goals.

In fact, former President Amadou Touré, 64, also came to power through a coup. In 1991, he overthrew a military ruler, Moussa Traoré, and then handed power to civilian authorities the next year. He won the presidential elections in 2002, with a broad coalition of support, and was easily re-elected in 2007. (Source: Wikipedia)

As the military launched its final assault on the presidential palace in the capital of Bamako, the report of heavy gun fire pierced the early morning air. Although Touré had previously escaped into hiding, his Defense Minister wasn’t as lucky. Both he and the Foreign Minister, Soumeylou Boubeye Maiga, are being held by the soldiers.

International condemnation of the coup has been swift. France suspended its cooperation in assisting its former colony with its transition to a more democratic rule, and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation has stated publicly that they do not condone the actions of these soldiers.

In a statement issued by the White House on Thursday, the US called for the "immediate restoration" of constitutional rule in Mali, while the African Union condemned the actions of the soldiers.

Ban Ki-moon, the UN's secretary-general, called for calm and for grievances to be settled democratically in a statement released hours before the soldiers said they had seized power.

Jean Ping, head of the Commission of the African Union continental grouping, said he was "deeply concerned by the reprehensible acts currently being perpetrated by some elements of the Malian army". (Source: Aljazeera)

Mali, the largest country in West Africa, is heavily Islamic; where approximately 90 percent of its population are adherents of Islam. Of these, the majority of Malians are Sunni, while a small population of Christians resides in the country with relative freedom from persecution. Islam was first introduced to Mali by Muslim Berber and Tuareg merchants traveling south into Sub-Saharan Africa.

One of the grievances of the CNRDR and a stated reason for toppling Touré’s government, was their perceived lack of government response to the returning Tuareg rebel fighters in the north of the country. The military felt that it had not been allocated sufficient weaponry to combat embattled and bitter Tuareg mercenaries who were returning to Mali from Libya.

Many of the Tuareg were ardent supporters of Muammar Gaddhafi, and when the Arab Spring movement swept through Libya, they went to the country to fight for the Gaddhafi regime. Once he was killed, those who were not captured and killed, returned to Mali disgruntled and unwelcomed.

Tuareg-led rebellions have killed numerous civilians and nearly 200,000 have had to flee their homes in advance of the marauding hordes. Mali, a country that has had several military regime changes and coups, has fostered an environment where rebels can easily foment unrest.

The growing instability after the initial steps toward a stable, democratic government has adjacent West African nations worried. If the Tuareg fighters are not contained, the fighting could spill over into neighboring countries like Algeria, as evidenced by the Tuareg's seizure earlier this month of the key garrison in the border town, Tessalit.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=dSWdg5kTYHo]

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South Sudan Secedes | UN to Grant Membership

NEW YORK - Yesterday, 5 July 2011, United Nations officials announced that South Sudan could become a member state after seceding.  South Sudan's secession was a prerequisite set forth by the U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon for it to be considered for membership.

On 9 July 2011 the Council will vote to confirm South Sudan as the 193rd member state and barring no veto, it could be confirmed as a member state on July 14. However, for over a decade this conflict-ravaged region has been subject to violent civil war and genocide in addition to the battle for control of its rich oil-producing regions. Because of this instability the future state shall remain under U.N. guardianship for the foreseeable future.

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon said in a statement late on Tuesday he was disappointed there had not been an end to hostilities in South Kordofan, the north's main oil state which borders the south. Similar to the global outcry against the holocaust in Darfur, the continued hostilities have been condemned by Ban Ki Moon and others.  The U.N. Secretary General has demanded the cessation of conflict as it imposes a "grave humanitarian impact" on an already victimized and weary population.

As part of the U.N.'s preparation to assume guardianship over South Sudan, the international peace keeping organization is expected to deploy up to 7,000 U.N. peace keepers in the new state. This mission is tentatively called UNMIS, which will be the fourth separate blue-helmeted force in Sudan. The others were for Dafur, Abyei in response to the genocide and to monitor compliance with the 2005 north-south peace deal that ended decades of civil war.

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