President of the Central African Republic [CAR], Professor Faustin-Archange Touadéra has said that the greatest priority of his administration is to work for the peace and reconciliation of the whole country.
President Touadéra made the remarks in an interview Monday with Radio Vatican’s French Africa Service.
CAR’s President also said peace and reconciliation, in his country, needed to go hand in hand with “Disarming, Demobilisation and the Reintegration of some of the armed groups into one national and neutral defence force,” President Touadéra said.
Earlier President Touadéra visited Pope Francis in the Vatican. A statement issued by the Holy See after the meeting stated that the discussions between President Touadéra and Pope Francis were both cordial and warm. The communique said it was clear that the recent electoral process and the renovation of the country’s institutions [in CAR] were taking place in a constructive climate.
“At the same time, it emerged that the consequences of the conflicts of recent years continue to weigh upon the population, and the important role of the international community in supporting the development of the country was emphasised,” read the Holy See communique, in part.
During the Radio Vatican interview, President Touadéra said that his visit to Pope Francis was to thank him personally on behalf of all the people of Central African Republic.
“I came to say thank you to Pope Francis for the great and courageous honour he accorded us by visiting CAR. He visited us during a tough period. The Pope gave us hope for peace. The significant and historical gesture of opening the Holy Door of Mercy in Bangui is something that we will never forget. He not only officially opened the Holy Door of Mercy; he also opened, as it were, the door to a new era in our country,” President Touadéra told the Africa Service of Radio Vatican, in French.
President Touadéra appealed to the international community to help his country move towards peace and reconciliation.
“It is essential that we reorganise our national defence force into a national and neutral army with the support of the international community, particularly the United Nations’ troops and also with the help of France. We need to begin systematically the disarmament of unconventional armed groups and any individuals carrying illegal weapons of war. Similarly, we have to strengthen the rule of law in our country; the legal system must be fully operational in all prefectures of the country to track down, prosecute offenders and guarantee human rights, the fight against impunity and corruption,” President Touadéra said.
The President conceded that his government faces the daunting task of reconstructing almost everything. He said in spite of all this; he is determined to succeed. He spoke of the need for the efficient redeployment of state administration throughout the country.
“We need to restore the authority of the state by the visible and actual presence of administrative and local authorities, that is, prefects, mayors, national defence forces, justice, administrative representatives to reassure, protect people and encourage them to resume their activities in peace.” President Touadéra added.
On education, he said revamping the education sector was also one of his priorities.
“The country is in dire need of more teachers, training, formation and capacity building. We need to rebuild the infrastructure that has been destroyed,” he emphasised.
President Touadéra further spoke about the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) -a terrorist militia group of Ugandan origin; good governance in the country and the importance of improving relations between Christians and Muslims in CAR.
Towards the end of the radio interview and speaking in Sango, the de facto lingua franca of CAR, President Touadéra challenged his compatriots to seize the historic opportunity at hand and solemnly pledge to change the course of their country away from recurring conflicts that disrupt the lives of peaceful citizens.
While in Rome, President Touadéra held talks with Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Director-General José Graziano da Silva. The talks focused on rebuilding the country's agriculture sector and making it an engine for peace and sustainable development.
FAO says years of conflict and political instability have hampered agricultural activities on which nearly 75 percent of the country's population rely for food and income. Some 1.3 million people in the Central African Republic are severely food insecure.
(Fr. Paul Samasumo, Vatican Radio)
Email: engafrica@vatiradio.va
