A recently-concluded three-day regional summit in the Congolese capital of Brazzaville narrowly delivered a much anticipated ceasefire agreement between Séléka and Anti-Balaka forces, the two major armed groups in the Central African Republic (CAR). Such an agreement does not, however, guarantee an end to the country's deep crisis. Disarmament of the armed groups, local dialogues, justice reform, and a clear roadmap for the remaining part of the transition are urgently needed to give the Brazzaville agreement any chance of success.
Previous regional summits and agreements have done little to end the crisis in CAR.
The January 2013 Libreville Agreement, for example, created a ceasefire between the then-government of François Bozizé and the Séléka alliance led by Michel Djotodia. The ink was barely dry before the deal was off. Séléka continued its advance and captured Bangui in March 2013, forcing Bozizé into exile. Then followed nine months of lootings, killings and a complete collapse of the state under the predatory rule of Djotodia and his troops. Unable to control his own forces Djotodia caved to international pressure and stepped down at a regional summit in Chadian capital of N'Djamena in January of this year.
CAR's current transitional president Catherine Samba-Panza, a former mayor of Bangui favored by France and regional powerhouse Chad, took over from Djotodia. She inherited a crippled state, without police or judges, where civil servants had not been paid for months, and where no one controlled the national armed forces. Facing such stark challenges, and with limited help from the international community and no real leverage over the armed groups, she has been unable to drive the political transition. Fighting in the country has continued. Mounting national and international frustrations led to the Brazzaville summit in an attempt to kick-start the political process and end the violence.
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