Reconciliation pact between the North-Eastern communities (Vakaga, Bamingui-Bangoran, Haute-Kotto)

Country/entity
Central African Republic
Region
Africa (excl MENA)
Agreement name
Reconciliation pact between the North-Eastern communities (Vakaga, Bamingui-Bangoran, Haute-Kotto)
Date
10 Nov 2020
Agreement status
Multiparty signed/agreed
Interim arrangement
Yes
Agreement/conflict level
Intrastate/local conflict
Stage
Framework/substantive - comprehensive
Conflict nature
Inter-group
Peace process
CAR: Local Processes
Parties
Representatives of Vakaga
Amgabo Moustapha (Sultan mayor)
Adramane Ramadane (Kara)
Ibrahim Abdoulaye (Goula)
Oumar Garba (Haoussa)
Abakar Yaya (Rounga)
Adam Idriss (Youlou)
Assane Amadou (Foulata)
Abdoulaye Tidjiane (Bornou)


Representatives of Haute-Kotto
Samba Rene Valentin (Banda)
Atahir Ali (Arabe)
Yaya Idriss Doungouss (Rounga)
Djouma Felix (Sara)
Assane Zakaria (Kara)
Ibrahim Ahamat (Goula)
Ahamat Aliou (Peul)
Dalkia Gilbert (Ndoka)
Blitchi Rosalie (women)
Balekouzou Maurice (mayor)
Aboubakar Siddick Ali (Bornou)

Representatives of Bamingui-Bangoran
Senoussi Ibrahim (Sultan mayor)
Yacoub Ibrahim (Rounga)
Mahamat Kamiss (Ndoka)
Makossa Bangui Pierre (Banda)
Hamat Driwich
Moussa Ngade Daniel (Sara)
Atahir Hamdan (Arab)
Outmane Amine (Djeme)
Senoussi Fatime (women)
Ahmat Moussa (youth)
Third parties
-
Description
In this agreement, the representatives of the local communities in Bamingui-Bangoran, Vakaga, and Haute-Kotto commit to resolving differences peacefully, maintaining the mobility for people and goods, ending violence and cruelty towards women, ending summary and extrajudicial executions. Additionally, they also make demands towards the Government, armed groups, and the guarantors and facilitators of the Political Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation (for list of demands, see 'Important Provisions').

Local agreement properties

Process type
Formal structured process
Rationale
The agreement was reached and signed in the Great Reconciliation Meeting in Bangui, which took place on November 9th and 10th 2020, under the patronage of the president of CAR, and with support from MINUSCA.
Is there a documented link to a national peace process?
Yes
Link to national process: articulated rationale
The link to the national process is evident from the references to the Political Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation in the CAR, and from the involvement of the president of CAR. The Anadolu Agency article (reference below) notes the following: "“We are all aware that the far north of the country is struggling with repeated attacks from armed groups that are signatories to the peace agreement,” Ange-Maxime Kazagui government spokesman told Anadolu Agency late Monday. “The objective of this great peace gathering is to create the conditions for a community reconciliation, it is for this reason that the government has invited community leaders, religious leaders as well as the heads of armed groups,” he added."
Name of Locale
North-Eastern CAR
Nature of Locale
Region
GPS Lat/Long (DD)
8.579294, 8.579294
Participant type
Local community/civilian group(s)/civil society organisations
Mediator, facilitator or similar
Mediator or similar referred to
Mediator (references)
The agreement does not reference the mediators, but the meeting was recorded as being facilitated by MINUSCA and publicised on MINUSCA Facebook page (link below), with participation of the UNSG representative. The agreement does note that the Bangui Meeting, at which the agreement was reached, was organised under the patronage of the CAR President, Faustin Archange Touadera.
Type of mediator/facilitator/similar
Central state actor International or transnational actor

Local issues

Ritual/prayer and process (including use of scripture)

No specific mention.

Grievance List
Page 1:
PREAMBLE
We, Representatives of the North-Eastern Communities (Vakaga, Bamingui-Bangoran, and Haute-Kotto), gathered in Bangui from November 9 to November 10, 2020, as part of the great Reconciliation Meeting,
•    Considering the recurrence of military-political crises in the Central African Republic;
•    Considering the multifaceted consequences of the 2012 crisis and its long-lasting effects, both on the functioning of public services and the populations;
•    Considering the recent violence between the various communities of the North-East, and the resulting material damage and loss of human life;
•    Considering that this violence has broken the secular bonds of cohabitation and cohesion between these different communities;
•    Aware that the persistence of this violence constitutes an obstacle to the reconstruction of the North-Eastern region;
Cattle rustling/banditry

No specific mention.

Social cover

No specific mention.

RECONCILIATION PACT BETWEEN THE NORTH-EASTERN COMMUNITIES (VAKAGA, ΒΑΜΙΝGUI-ΒΑΝGΟRΑΝ, ΗΑUΤΕ-ΚΟΤΤΟ)

PREAMBLE

We, Representatives of the North-Eastern Communities (Vakaga, Bamingui-Bangoran, and Haute-Kotto), gathered in Bangui from November 9 to November 10, 2020, as part of the great Reconciliation Meeting,

• Considering the recurrence of military-political crises in the Central African Republic;

• Considering the multifaceted consequences of the 2012 crisis and its long-lasting effects, both on the functioning of public services and the populations;

• Considering the recent violence between the various communities of the North-East, and the resulting material damage and loss of human life;

• Considering that this violence has broken the secular bonds of cohabitation and cohesion between these different communities;

• Aware that the persistence of this violence constitutes an obstacle to the reconstruction of the North-Eastern region;

• Conscious of the importance of peace as an essential factor in development;

• Considering the peace and reconciliation initiatives implemented by the Government, with the support of partners;

Reaffirming the adherence of all communities to the Political Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation in the Central African Republic (APPR - RCA)

• Considering the will of the different communities to move towards peace and reconciliation, shown through various pacts and documents signed between said communities,

• Considering that this will was strongly reaffirmed during these meetings;

• Considering the conclusions of the great Bangui Meeting, held from November 9 to 10, 2020 under the Very High Patronage of His Excellency Professor Faustin Archange TOUADERA, President of the Republic, Head of State, and which considered all wishes expressed by the communities

We agree as follows:

• To bury the hatchet definitively;

• From now on, to favor dialogue and the judicial process as a method of settling disputes

• To respect the rights and freedoms of all human beings living in the region,

• To strictly respect the free movement of people and goods,

• To put a definitive end to summary and extrajudicial executions;

• To end violence and cruel treatment against women;

• To avoid all forms of ethnic and religious discrimination;

• To avoid the looting of natural resources in the North-Eastern Region, or indeed promoting this;

• To denounce alliances with foreign mercenaries;

• To reinforce a lasting Reconciliation between the different communities;

• To educate and train communities on social cohesion and cohabitation;

• To Involve the Association of VAKAGA Nationals for Development (AREVAD) in the implementation of this pact.

Our demands:

1. to the Government

• The pursuit of the Restoration of State Authority in the Northeast;

• The total disarmament of armed groups;

• The return of Internally Displaced Persons with living support and supply of construction materials;

• To declare the city of Bria "the City without Weapons" and the Prefecture of Bamingui-Bangoran, "the Prefecture without weapons" in consultation with the former armed groups;

• The removal of illegal barriers on all routes;

• To build up Bahidon into a fully-fledged commune;

• To divide Bria into three (3) electoral constituencies;

• To guarantee border security with Chad and Sudan;

• To identify, list, and close all roads that link the borders of the Northeast with Chad and Sudan;

• To deploy defense and security forces at the borders with Chad, and Sudan (Amdafock, Boromata, Tissifongoro, and Sikikédé);

• To involve all ethnic groups in the management of municipal affairs;

• To list the houses destroyed and burnt during the conflict for repair;

• To prosecute those identified as authors, co-authors, and accomplices of these conflicts;

• To support the communities of Vakaga for the establishment of a Committee of Elders for the prevention of conflicts;

• To set up the PCA of OUANDJA and SAM OUANDJA to bring the administration closer to the populations;

• To decentralize the service for issuing national identity cards in remote prefectures;

• To facilitate the issuing of identity cards and passports to communities in the Northeast;

• To create jobs and training centers for young people in the region;

• To divide DAR EL KOUTI into three (3) communes and two (2) electoral districts;

• To reopen the gendarmerie posts at NGARBA BORD and NIAMANI;

• To promote local governance;

• To allocate resources equitably and inclusively, based on the advantages and benefits of the Region;

• To set up local development projects for the Northeast Region;

• To accelerate the opening up of the North-Eastern Region through the construction of road infrastructures;

• To ensure the departure of foreign warlords from the Northeast Region;

• To consider different ethnic groups in the constitution of special delegations;

• To continue the rehabilitation of remand and health centers in the North-Eastern Region;

• To establish a monitoring and popularization mechanism of the Pact;

2. to the armed groups

• Scrupulous respect for the Peace Agreement of February 6, 2019 (APPR - RCA) including the complete dissolution of their groups;

• The dismantling of illegal barriers, which are sources of conflict;

• Allow for the free movement of people and goods in the North-East;

• To respect the rights of individuals and the dignity of the human person;

• To ensure reconciliation between each other;

• To ensure the liberation of administrative buildings occupied by armed groups;

• To abolish parallel tax and customs collection services;

3. to the Guarantors and Facilitators of the APPR-RCA

• Provide multifaceted support to the parties to the Agreement with a view to them scrupulously respecting their commitments;

Done in Bangui, November 10, 2020

Signatory Parties:

Representatives of Haute-Kotto

Representatives of Vakaga

Representatives of Bamingui-Bangoran