Luanda - The President of the Central African Republic (CAR), Faustin -Archange Touadéra, recognized on Wednesday, in Bangui, the role played by the Angolan Head of State, João Lourenço, in the implementation of the Political Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation in his country.
It happened during an audience that Faustin Touadéra granted to the group of heads of delegations of the Member States of the AU - Peace and Security Council (PSC), which included Angola's permanent representative to the continental organization, Miguel Bembe.
According to a press release sent to ANGOP Thursday (Sept 12), on the occasion the CRA's President announced that his country will hold, in 2025, the first municipal/local elections, having requested, for this purpose, logistical and financial support of the African Union.
In turn, within the scope of other working meetings that the AU mission held in Bangui, diplomat Miguel Bembe highlighted Angola's contribution to the lifting of the embargo on the supply of weapons imposed on CAR by the UN.
He also spoke of the relevance of the 1221st Meeting of the PSC, dedicated to the situation in that country, which took place on 11 July, within the scope of Angola's rotating presidency, which formulated concrete recommendations for the suspension of the aforementioned embargo.
He recognized CAR authorities' efforts in implementing the Political Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation and the Joint Luanda Roadmap for Pacification, which have already allowed the reintegration of more than 3 thousand former-combatants in their communities, the disarmament of 6 thousand former-soldiers and the voluntary surrender of weapons by around 1.5 thousand rebels.
He also reaffirmed Angola's commitment to supporting the African Union in its efforts with international partners to obtain financial and logistical assistance for the implementation of the CAR's National Development Plan for the period 2024-2028, in order to transform its potential into a sustainable reality.
The hearing marked the end of the agenda of the AU-PSC joint Field Mission to CAR, which began on the 9th, aimed to assess the progress made by the government in promoting peace and security, encourage civilians to voluntarily surrender weapons to state authorities, without fear of arrest or legal proceedings, and took part in the celebration of Africa Amnesty month, in the city of Bangui.
September was declared “Africa Amnesty Month” during the 29th Ordinary Session of the African Union Conference, held on July 3 and 4, 2017, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to promote the delivery and collection of small arms and light weapons, under anonymity and immunity from legal proceedings.
The date was celebrated for the 1st time in 2022, in the city of Lomé, Togo, with the Mozambican capital, Maputo, hosting the celebration in 2023. FMA/ART/CF/DOJ
