Peace is a prerequisite for the Central African Republic elections slated for December 27, the African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) have said.
“At the dawn of a new year that brings with it the advent of free trade across our continent, we must do all we can to ensure that no country or region is left behind by conflict that denies citizens the right to peace, stability and development,” African Union Chairperson and South African leader Cyril Ramaphosa said on Sunday.
President Ramaphosa said “an end to armed conflict is a prerequisite for free, fair and credible elections which must in turn form the basis of peace that will benefit the CAR and the Economic Community of African States (ECCAS) more broadly,” according to his office.
“The guns of insurrection must be silenced to enable the democratic will of the people of the Central African Republic to be expressed and realized,” the South African added.
His office said the President thanked the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) for “the considered and progressive stance taken regarding the situation in the Central African Republic (CAR) ahead of the Presidential and Legislative Elections which are scheduled for 27 December 2020.”
The AU Chairperson said the electoral process and its outcome in the Central African Republic must entail adherence to the Republic’s Constitution, decisions of the Constitutional Court and the provisions of the February 2019 Peace Agreement.
President Ramaphosa urged all “political actors in the CAR to desist from fomenting or escalating tension in the CAR, to abide by the Constitution of the Republic, and to commit to dialogue as the means to achieve sustainable peace and stability,” his office said.
Simon Ateba is Chief White House Correspondent for Today News Africa. Simon covers President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, the U.S. government, the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and other financial and international institutions in Washington D.C. and New York City.
