YouSaid · the spoken record

Baipo-Temon

lines on the record: 231
first: 2019-02-21
most recent: 2023-10-26
sittings or episodes: 10
sources: un-security-council

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“The many challenges the country faces are deliberately amplified by harmful acts aimed at defaming, discrediting and above all creating tensions with its partners. As we are all victims of such disgusting campaigns, I urge that we stay above the fray to avoid drowning in the sea of social networks where anything and everything can be found and where the truth struggles to emerge but with time always will, in spite of it all.”
2023-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9352 (2023) · source
“After warnings about the quality of the documents made available, a meeting between the Foreign Ministry and MINUSCA’s legal department cleared up doubts that MINUSCA had not provided key information that would enable visas to be issued, specifically the dates and duration for which the visas are requested. If I am not mistaken, there are no longer any difficulties in that regard, unless visa applications are submitted on the day the applicant arrives. It is also important to note that the Government is continuing its efforts to fight disinformation and hate speech. Nevertheless, the Central African Republic calls on its partners to work to combat all forms of hate speech and disinformation campaigns. In addition, I invite partners to pay greater attention to the authorized voices of the Central African Republic.”
2023-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9352 (2023) · source
“It is time for the fruits of our labour to be seen and appreciated by a population weary of the constant attacks by armed groups. In that regard, the Central African Republic reiterates the need to allocate to the Mission the necessary capacities to reduce the lethal capacity of armed groups and restore full authority to the Government so that it can lead the way in the country’s reconstruction. I want to clarify a few points and affirm the excellent cooperation between MINUSCA and the Government of the Central African Republic. The report highlights the delays in processing visas, which is one example of the need for coordinating our work.”
2023-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9352 (2023) · source
“In addition to my points concerning developments in the political and security situation, I am pleased to be able to highlight the fact that the number of violations of the terms of the status-of-forces agreement between the Government and MINUSCA reflects the improved collaboration between them, and I would like to congratulate the Special Representative once again on her efforts to improve the Mission’s coordination of its work with the Government. I encourage MINUSCA to maintain that coordination so that our combined efforts and energies can help to secure and stabilize the Central African Republic as soon as possible, considering that the peacekeeping operation’s mission is approaching its tenth anniversary. It has been 10 long years, during which our enemies have perpetrated the most heinous crimes and continue to do so.”
2023-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9352 (2023) · source
“While welcoming the decision to extend the National Recovery and Peacebuilding Plan, the Government is working to define a new reference framework for mobilizing resources. The paradox represented by the difference between the country’s wealth and the precariousness of its population is no longer acceptable. We call on technical and financial partners to work in accordance with the principles of equality and respect for the sovereignty of States without regard for geopolitical issues.”
2023-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9352 (2023) · source
“With the support of humanitarian partners, the Government is meeting those new challenges in a spirit of human and fraternal solidarity. There is an urgent need to mobilize resources to respond to the new challenges on the humanitarian front, and I therefore call on the international community for support in meeting the basic needs of vulnerable people. On the economic and financial front, the country’s economic situation remains difficult, which means that the social situation is just as worrisome and difficult. The recent approval by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is therefore to be welcomed, and is the reason why the Government will continue to work with the IMF on the necessary reforms and continue its efforts to create the right conditions to launch the country’s economic and social development.”
2023-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9352 (2023) · source
“The Government is prepared to support MINUSCA in its zero-tolerance policy in order to avoid tensions such as those that followed the false allegations made against the Gabonese contingent. Its withdrawal without a temporary solution being put in place brought prejudicial sentiment against the population, which was attacked as soon as it withdrew. The situation on the humanitarian front remains alarming, due to the drop in the mobilization of humanitarian assistance for the Central African Republic, sporadic attacks by armed groups, undermining the process of the return of displaced persons and refugees to areas subject to frequent rebel incursions, and new challenges linked to the fallout from crises in neighbouring countries, in particular the Sudan and Chad, which have brought a flood of refugees into Central African border towns.”
2023-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9352 (2023) · source
“With regard to human rights violations and the fight against impunity, the Government remains committed to combating impunity. The judicial system has been strengthened. Rulings have been made and criminal proceedings held. Sixty-six arrest warrants have been issued by the Special Criminal Court. The first judicial decisions concerning compensation for victims have been handed down. Efforts are continuing to address the issues of human rights violations and sexual abuse. In addition, the Government has asked MINUSCA to ensure coordination and collaboration during expert fact-finding missions, especially in cases of human rights violations. Similarly, the Government would appreciate being informed of investigations into allegations of human rights violations and sexual abuse committed by MINUSCA personnel or contingents.”
2023-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9352 (2023) · source
“In addition, it has been made clear that the process is being led by the Central African Government and that security is being provided by the Central African armed forces, with the support of its bilateral partners Russia and Rwanda. MINUSCA is not and will not be involved in the process. I would like to respond to an opinion expressed today by making it clear that wanting to give people legitimacy is in no way a distraction. What is a distraction is wanting to legitimize armed groups so as to keep an entire country and its population in a state of dependence through a dialogue with its oppressors, in accordance with which countries represented in this Chamber have chosen firmness and justice without a transitional phase.”
2023-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9352 (2023) · source
“The political debates on the subject are aimed at fomenting discord about one issue, the third mandate, in order to make people forget that the referendum is the expression par excellence of the people’s sovereignty and therefore of democracy. What we want to do is to consolidate the gains of our hard- won collective efforts through a solid fundamental law for a future built on a foundation that ensures that the aspirations and will of the Central African people will be fulfilled. It is important to note that the referendum process is completely separate from that of local elections, which have most certainly not been cancelled but postponed to a date that is now being set and that the National Electoral Authority will announce soon.”
2023-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9352 (2023) · source
“We are also making efforts in terms of security-sector reform to support those actions in line with the national defence plan, and it is those outcomes that are reflected in the Secretary- General’s report, which recognizes the efforts made and the results achieved. The alleged perpetrators of human rights violations, including the officers concerned, are being prosecuted by a military tribunal on the initiative of the General Inspectorate of the Armed Forces. The local elections scheduled for July have been postponed until September. That is due to an inadequate mobilization of funds, which has left a gap of more than $14 million to be covered. In addition, in response to the population’s desire for a new constitution, the President of the Republic has announced that a referendum will be held on 30 July.”
2023-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9352 (2023) · source
“The follow-up committee for the republican dialogue is now operational, and the Government is continuing to develop its useful existing frameworks to foster a continuing dialogue aimed at resolving differences among Central Africans. The disarmament, demobilization, repatriation and reintegration programme, although underfunded, continues to make significant progress. Nine disarmed and demobilized armed groups have disbanded, thereby fulfilling the terms of their commitment to the Political Agreement. A process to define the criteria for identifying foreign ex-combatants is under way.”
2023-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9352 (2023) · source
“The initiatives undertaken following the recognition of the Luanda road map and the Political Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation in the Central African Republic are now being extended into rural areas and throughout the country through an information and awareness-raising campaign led by decentralized bodies and local players. The Prime Minister continues to coordinate the various components of the process. A national border security policy has been approved. Technical subcommissions have been set up and others are being organized. Major joint commissions have been scheduled to review the outcomes of the technical subcommissions’ activities.”
2023-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9352 (2023) · source
“The Government is still waiting to hear more details in that regard to enable it to address certain misunderstandings that could be resolved by simple communication. Let us not forget that it is the situation on the ground that dictates events, and that the violations observed on both sides can be improved only through full cooperation. I would like to stress the need for the Council to support the efforts undertaken by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General by ensuring that MINUSCA has a truly robust mandate and more effective rules of engagement. On the political front, the Central African Republic is continuing its efforts to take ownership of the shared political process for peace and reconciliation.”
2023-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9352 (2023) · source
“Overall, the aim is to implement a comprehensive programme that takes into account the needs relative to security and their consolidation through the concomitant establishment of basic services and an economic development programme that promotes the potential of the regions concerned. The efforts undertaken in Sam Ouandja must therefore be pursued and supported so that — given the vastness of the Central African Republic’s territory and its needs in terms of road infrastructure development and urbanization — we can provide the population with concrete answers through coordinated, organized and structured work. In the face of the ongoing assaults of the armed groups, we need greater coordination in order to avoid complaints of misunderstandings, including those described in the Secretary-General’s report.”
2023-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9352 (2023) · source
“Given the scope of the work to be carried out, we prefer direct discussions, in the form of political consultations, to mixed commissions, which are cumbersome to organize. Besides that, the Government and MINUSCA should continue their coordinated efforts, which are now bearing fruit, in order to be even more effective in restoring State authority throughout the country. That is why it is important to remember that we must work rigorously together, not to maintain a peace that we have not yet established but to establish peace through a policy that can consolidate our joint efforts and stabilize the gains we have made.”
2023-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9352 (2023) · source
“The negative repercussions of crises outside the Central African Republic are a real concern for our Government, particularly the resurgence of armed tensions in the Sudan, whose worrisome humanitarian and security consequences are extremely alarming, because the growing security challenges along our borders, especially with Chad and the Sudan, encourage the rebel activity in our country. In the face of all those security challenges, the Government is continuing its efforts to strengthen bilateral and subregional cooperation, including through joint initiatives and actions where necessary, such as its recent action taken with Chad to disband an armed movement seeking to use the Central African Republic as a rear base to destabilize our brother nation of Chad. The bilateral and subregional discussions that we participate in are continuing.”
2023-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9352 (2023) · source
“Considering that no country bordering the Central African Republic is an arms manufacturer, the supply network for the weapons being used to massacre the people of the Central African Republic should first and foremost be a focus of investigation by the Council and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. The continued determination of armed groups stems from the fact that they are able to freely ensure that supply without hindrance. In addition to the Central African Republic’s internal challenges, the country is also landlocked, leaving it vulnerable to cross-border challenges. It should not be forgotten that the Central African Republic shares borders with six States, in a subregion that is prone to armed conflict and illicit arms trafficking.”
2023-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9352 (2023) · source
“The armed groups carry out sporadic attacks and incursions and use the profits from their illicit exploitation of the rich resources in our soil to facilitate their crimes with increasingly sophisticated weapons, all acquired with the full knowledge of the international community and in particular of the Security Council, which is struggling to address the real problem in the Central African Republic. That problem is the source providing those weapons to the armed groups living in the bush. Their supply channel for heavy and state-of-the-art weapons, as well as anti-personnel mines, should be a cause for concern in more ways than one.”
2023-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9352 (2023) · source
“Nor should I forget the technical and financial partners who support us in our officer- training programmes and disarmament, demobilization, repatriation and reintegration programme, including, to name only a few, the United States of America, the World Bank and the European Union, in particular in the context of its mission to advise our internal security forces, the European Union Advisory Mission in the Central African Republic. The Central African Republic’s political and security challenges are numerous and complex. First, there are the negative consequences of the many military and political crises the country has seen, which have plunged it into a state of chronic instability fuelling the precarious situation and the people’s poverty, both easily manipulated in such conditions.”
2023-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9352 (2023) · source
“Nevertheless, it remains volatile and therefore unpredictable owing to the growing zeal of enemies of peace such as armed groups and the various political actors or civilian proxies who continue to use weapons, disinformation and incitement to hatred and division in their refusal to adhere to the political process for peace and stability in the Central African Republic. The improvement in the security situation should be encouraged and commended. I would like to take this opportunity to commend the combined work of the Government, led by Mr. Félix Moloua, Prime Minister and Head of Government, and guided by President Touadera, with the support of MINUSCA, the Russian Federation and Rwanda.”
2023-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9352 (2023) · source
“My thanks also go to the AU Peace and Security Council, for its communiqué in support of the Central African Republic’s legitimate demands, as well as the AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, the AU Panel of the Wise and, as I said, various subregional organizations such as the ICGLR and ECCAS for their strong support for the political process for peace in the Central African Republic. On the security front — and excuse me, Mr. President, for this lengthy statement — significant progress has been made. The Government remains committed to its decentralization policy, having restored State authority to about 85 per cent of the country’s territory. I am pleased to be able to say that the security situation has improved.”
2023-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9352 (2023) · source
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the international community and MINUSCA for their strong support, improved coordination and the results achieved, and the African Union, especially the three non-permanent members of the Security Council — Gabon, Ghana and Mozambique — for their outstanding efforts in championing the cause and voice of their sister Central African Republic within the Security Council, while effectively living up to the founding principles of our continental African community aimed at defending the interests of Africa and its member States in the face of the strategic challenges that we represent on the international stage.”
2023-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9352 (2023) · source
“Those efforts have been made with the support of the international community through the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), of the African continent through the African Union, of the subregion through organizations such as the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) and the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), and all the bilateral, technical and financial partners of the Central African Republic.”
2023-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9352 (2023) · source
“Even if it contains a few inaccuracies and inconsistencies, unlike its predecessors it reflects the progress that has been made. It is important to note that since the return to constitutional order with the accession to the executive of His Excellency Mr. Faustin Archange Touadera, President of the Republic and Head of State, the Government has continued to make every possible effort for a definitive return to peace, strengthening the rule of law, restoring State authority throughout the country, preserving democratic gains and improving our co-existence, with the goal of stabilizing the country so that we can create the conditions necessary for its development.”
2023-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9352 (2023) · source
“As before, it is a moral duty and a true honour for me to take the floor in this Chamber on behalf of my country, the Central African Republic, as the Security Council considers the report of the Secretary-General on political and security developments in the Central African Republic. I would like to take this opportunity to reiterate to Secretary-General Guterres the gratitude of my Government and people for his tireless commitment to peace, stability and development in the world in general and the Central African Republic in particular. With regard to the Secretary-General’s report, I would first like to say how pleased I am by the acknowledgement of the significant efforts of the Government of the Central African Republic. The report is commendable.”
2023-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9352 (2023) · source
“I also thank the Special Representative of the Secretary- General for her presentation of the report of the Secretary-General (S/2023/442), the Executive Director of UN-Women for her briefing on the situation of women and girls in the Central African Republic, the Head of Association Jeunesse en Marche pour le Développement en Centrafrique for his call for peace in Central African Republic and his Association’s contribution to countering hate speech, and all the Ambassadors and representatives here today who spoke to express their support, solidarity, compassion and encouragement, as well as their concerns.”
2023-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9352 (2023) · source
“Ms. Baipo Temon (Central African Republic) (spoke in French): First of all, I would like to begin by congratulating you, Sir, on the United Arab Emirates’ presidency of the Security Council and commend you for your able leadership today. On behalf of the Government and the people of the Central African Republic, I would like to warmly greet everyone here today and express our sincere thanks for their support for the cause of the Central African Republic.”
2023-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9352 (2023) · source
“The people of the Central African Republic ask the members of the Council not to be mistaken about who their enemies are. The country, the people and the Government of the Central African Republic are not their enemies, and they are not the enemy. The Central African people simply want mutually beneficial partnerships based on the princi- ples of equality and non-discrimination. May peace take shape in this world of constant strug- gle. May peace take shape in the Central African Republic. The meeting rose at 12.25 p.m.”
2023-02-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9265 (2023) · source
“Let us stop legitimizing armed groups with sanctions that have the opposite effects to those intended, and above all, let us not turn victims into oppressors and torturers into victims. In conclusion, I encourage Council members to put themselves in the place of the people of the Central Afri- can Republic and to treat their cause as their own — their quest for a life of dignity — by supporting the lifting of the unjust sanctions on their Government such as those in resolution 2127 (2013), on the embargo on Central Afri- can Republic, which gave legitimacy to the armed groups to the detriment of the legitimate authorities and makes no sense in the wake of the lifting of the restrictions on access to arms for the regular forces, the lifting of the remaining sanctions under the Kimberley Process and the implementation of sanctions on the free movement and the freezing of assets of persons under sanctions for crimes against humanity.”
2023-02-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9265 (2023) · source
“The Central African context demands that we not ignore the failures and mistakes that have complicated the political and security situation in the Central African Republic if we are to put in place an operation whose goal is to impose peace and stability in order to overcome the country’s issues of precarity, and consequently of human rights violations, disinformation and incitement to hatred, by offering people sane and genuine alternatives, not empty promises. Let us work together to create dreams, not sell them. To do that, let us work in solidarity, without considering strong versus weak or who is dominant versus who can be dominated. Let us not forget that we are all human beings. Let us work to reduce discrimination and to lift unjust, perverse and ineffective sanctions.”
2023-02-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9265 (2023) · source
“There is no question that in the face of heavily armed groups equipped with sophisticated weapons, in a region of Central Africa where no State manufactures or sells weapons, the Mission’s mandate must be revised under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations. We need a robust and effective operation that can put an end to the suffering of a people exhausted by decades of aggression against their territory, crimes against their citizens, destabilization of their institutions and illicit exploitation of their mineral resources.”
2023-02-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9265 (2023) · source
“Our ability to be effective depends on structured, coordinated and orderly work. If we try to chase several hares at the same time, we will not catch any of them — which is to say that we will not achieve any results, because there is no security solution or alternative other than to work together to fight the enemies of peace in the Central African Republic, the forces of evil that are the armed groups. Stabilizing the Central African Republic is more imperative today than ever before. Together we must think about how to stabilize the Central African Repub- lic and bring back peace.”
2023-02-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9265 (2023) · source
“I will not dwell on the issue of human rights violations in view of the double standards that are apparent in the handling of certain cases — specif- ically, where work was done without the knowledge of the local Central African authorities, in cases where the claims have been unverifiable and in decisions moti- vated by known inconsistencies, such as the withdrawal of Gabonese troops in 2021 on the basis of slanderous denunciations or even misinformation. The fight against impunity functions at two entirely different speeds, with a list of sanctions ignored, thereby allowing the execution- ers of the Central African people to continue their abuses. We cannot ask for the possible and the impossible at the same time. Building a State based on the rule of law and simultaneously functioning as a stable State are not humanly possible.”
2023-02-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9265 (2023) · source
“They are obstructing the people’s access to their own backyard and preventing the Central African authorities from implementing economic programmes based on the country’s rich potential in natural resources. How can we reduce the humanitarian problems when 80 per cent of donations pledged are used solely to ensure the operations of non-governmental organizations and other associations? How can we resolve those issues when poverty is supported by the exploitation of Central Afri- can personnel, even on their own territory? We can end this alarming humanitarian situation, but first we need the will to do it. We have to reduce the armed groups’ lethal capacity.”
2023-02-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9265 (2023) · source
“The Central African Republic is not immune to the consequences of soaring prices for basic necessi- ties and petroleum products, which are fuelling social tensions. That worrisome economic and financial back- drop is aggravating an already alarming humanitarian situation resulting from constant attacks by armed groups and the illicit exploitation of natural resources. The peace- keeping operation and humanitarian non-governmental organizations, with their tax exemptions, are also hamper- ing the Central African economy. How can we possibly improve the humanitarian situa- tion without addressing the issue of the armed groups that are its root cause?”
2023-02-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9265 (2023) · source
“As an example, that minimal level of control led to the arrest of a couple, parents to a six-month-old baby, who came to the Central African Republic ostensibly on a religious mission and were found on the outskirts of the Central African capital using drones. They were arrested and expelled from Central African territory. That is one case among many demonstrating the minimum level of control we need to talk about securitization. On the economic front, the persistent prob- lems — exacerbated by the coronavirus disease health crisis and the Ukraine-Russia crisis — have not spared the Central African economy, which was already in dire straits thanks to its situation as an underdeveloped country.”
2023-02-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9265 (2023) · source
“Would any country here accept such practices? The terms of the status-of-forces agreement with the Central African Government regarding MINUSCA’s operations are clear. The Government has tolerated a number of exemptions — even some that are barely acceptable — but it is important to remember that the Central African Republic has requested support in its quest for security, not a trusteeship or any kind of substitution for the Central African authorities. The restrictions we have announced should be understood in the light of the abuses committed and considering the vulnerability of the Central African Republic. They highlight the contradictions in a mandate where there is securitization without an adequate level of control.”
2023-02-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9265 (2023) · source
“It is important to point out that the appeals made by the Central African authorities for coordinated efforts, particularly in the context of the growing numbers of troops and their identity, have still not unanswered. Is the Council aware that despite our constant requests, we have seen no sign of collaboration or coordination, in total violation of the sovereignty of the Central African Republic? In my view, it is important that in all the relevant resolutions of the Council, it is stressed that it is first and foremost the responsibility of the Central African authorities to ensure the protection of their population and territory. How can we respond if we do not even have the right to know who has been invited to set foot on Central African soil? Is that not an insidious way to flout a sovereign right?”
2023-02-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9265 (2023) · source
“In the light of the resurgence in armed-group attacks and the threats, disinformation and incitement to hatred that are being disseminated on social networks with the aim of angering and frightening the people, we must sit down and consider the supposed effectiveness of the increase in United Nations troops, which has been presented as a response to the failure of that security plan for the 2020–2021 electoral timetable, during which a new rebellion emerged that has forced us to once again appeal to the international community and subregional organizations. The Secretary-General’s report discusses the situation of MINUSCA in the Central African Republic and the restrictions on its freedom of movement in particular.”
2023-02-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9265 (2023) · source
“The latest incidents include the 14 February attack on Sikikédé, in the Vakaga region, in which lives were lost and officers of the Forces armées centrafricaines were taken hostage, and the assassinations on 18 February in Paoua, as well as attacks on United Nations forces and humanitarian personnel. All of that should compel us to review MINUSCA’s mandate so that it can deploy more efficiently in a way that compels it to effectively protect civilians while attacks by negative forces are actually happening rather than in their aftermath. We should also review the mandate so that the mistakes made in the run-up to the previous electoral deadlines are not repeated, especially the plan to secure the elections that failed to produce the expected results and sparked a new aggression by armed groups.”
2023-02-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9265 (2023) · source
“Above all, it has been made difficult and painful by incessant interference with the sole objective of distracting us from our primary goal and the real issue, which is giving the people back their sovereignty and their ability to express themselves on the subject that most concerns them, their development and social welfare. Let us not forget that no one can claim to care about the Central African Republic more than the Central Africans themselves. With regard to security, the resurgence of attacks by armed groups and the use of explosive devices and drones has created an alarming situation.”
2023-02-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9265 (2023) · source
“I would like to echo Ambassador Hilale’s request that the international community mobilize funding for the holding of local elections to enable us to finalize a democratic process that we all desire and have initiated together. The state of the world today suggests that sanctions that are imposed solely to punish are completely ineffective, especially when they are disproportionate, unjust and cruel, forcing a people to their knees simply because they have made a legitimate cry for help to survive. As I said, we should understand that the political process for a young State like the Central African Republic is long and wearisome.”
2023-02-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9265 (2023) · source
“On the political level, efforts continue in a political process for peace and reconciliation shared with the Luanda road map, which came as a complement to bring the recalcitrant armed groups that had resumed their rebellion back to the Political Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation in the Central African Republic, in the presence of United Nations forces consisting of approximately 13,000 people. We should appreciate the authorities’ unceasing efforts to preserve the foundations of democracy, build the rule of law and restore State authority throughout the country. That is a long and wearisome process, but the approaching deadline for local elections should enable us to speed up our decentralization policy and through that our local development.”
2023-02-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9265 (2023) · source
“But would it not be better to focus on finding a concrete solution for what is causing the Central African problem? Or, instead, we can focus on non-issues, such as restrictions on night flights, which was a topic constantly brought up during the debate on the renewal of MINUSCA’s mandate, so that we would forget that the original mandate is far from being achieved. We know the cause of the Central African problem, and the Council knows it too. All we need to do now is to want to address it. Let us remember that Central African Republic’s appeal to the international community was made because of aggression that ensued from the Séléka rebellion in 2013, which in a few days massacred thousands of innocent people and displaced thousands more. What is the situation today, nine years later?”
2023-02-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9265 (2023) · source
“It is also a sad consequence of the reality of this world despite collective efforts — a world in chaos, a world of chaos — simply because the solutions advocated are out of phase with the realities of States. We will continue to meet in this Chamber to discuss as many reports and draft resolutions as we want. But would it not make more sense, after 13 multilateral peace operations and nine years of peacekeeping operations through MINUSCA, to focus urgently on the fact that we need to truly establish this oft-invoked peace before we can finally be able to maintain it. We can debate the different points of the report submitted by the Secretary-General, and we can also continue to count the dead, the displaced and the refugees.”
2023-02-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9265 (2023) · source
“Indeed, we will have to face the fact that we must work together for peace and stop merely talking about peace. To do this, we must focus on the realities experienced by Central Africans, and not on facts deliberately extrapolated in the name of humanity, or even in the name of compassion for a people living in misery or facing the illicit exploitation of natural resources of which the Central African State is deprived. Members of the Security Council should know that we are well aware of the realities of this world and the paradox between the wealth that the Central African Republic possesses and the misery in which its population lives.”
2023-02-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9265 (2023) · source
“It also means that the future holds only one option: violence in response to violence, as that is the only way to survive. Indeed, while the Secretary- General’s report makes a good number of points, it does not go to the heart of the matter, in particular what the Central African people aspire to. It would be appropriate to sit down one day and discuss the results expected from the implementation of the peacekeeping operation in the Central African Republic, because, first of all, we are accountable to the population for them. Let us not forget that MINUSCA’s mandate is to protect civilians. Secondly, we should do this because it is not enough to take stock of the security and political situation in the Central African Republic without evaluating the actions and expected results of what we are doing.”
2023-02-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9265 (2023) · source
“Furthermore, a campaign of demonization in the Central African Republic, driven by the geopolitical and geostrategic interests of Powers that are motivated by economic and positioning objectives, relies on all means to marginalize a country and a population that have already been badly damaged. In addition, a negative campaign aimed at taking the Central African population hostage has been actively undertaken to prevent any financial support for the Central African authorities, strangling the country and fomenting a social crisis. This means that the youth of the Central African Republic — a youth that aspires only to peace, which every human being should be able to enjoy in the land of their forebears — can look forward only to a very sad future.”
2023-02-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9265 (2023) · source
“We are in the twenty-first century, and those who have had the opportunity to visit the Central African Republic could describe the paradox of the country to the Council. The Central African Republic is a sparsely populated State, vast in surface area and possessing innumerable natural resources and a generous land. But the country is subject to the tyranny of men, forcing an entire people to live in a situation of unacceptable and, above all, incomprehensible insecurity. Indeed, with abuses and violent extremism perpetrated by armed groups, the population cannot have access to their land for cultivation to meet their personal consumption needs. The Central African authorities are cut off from any possibility of exploiting the resources of its subsoil that could allow it to support efficient economic and social development programmes.”
2023-02-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9265 (2023) · source