Topic:
Country: Central African Republic
Delegate Name: Haley Berry
Domestic crises of any stature are inevitable to occur within a developing nation. Conflict arises as a country arises, and is an ever present nuisance to the advancement of a civilization. Some nations fare better than others, and it would not be abnormal for the latter to request assistance from the wealthier nations who’ve dealt with such conflict and have the capacity to provide abettance.
The Central African Republic has a history tainted with violence and struggle since its inception in 1958. During these periods, the international community has responded with military assistance from entities such as Russia, Rwanda, and the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA). However, efforts such as these have proved futile as fighting has worsened in recent years.
The government remains practically powerless as the Séléka increasingly gains control, and communal tensions grow. The Central African Republic’s future is solely dependent on the reconciliation of the Séléka and Balaka. This proposition proposes questions yet to be answered. How much longer will the fighting continue, and how much longer can the country withstand it? By what standards would compromise between the two groups be achievable? How may the reconciliation process be hastened by the international community?
Any reasonable answer to these questions lies within the context of UN intervention in both military and humanitarian aspects. As a developing nation with a feeble government, the Central African Republic has little grasp on the violence and fallout ravaging the country. This conflict has brought about negative implications for the wellbeing of citizens in the CAR. According to a 2020 report made by the Bertelsmann Transformation Index (BTI), “At the end of 2018, the humanitarian situation is worse than it was at the beginning of the 2013 conflict. The number of people in need of humanitarian assistance grew from 2.2 million in 2016 to 2.9 million, or 63% of the population…” The Central African Republic desperately requires foreign assistance if it wishes to successfully combat such circumstances. This point is further supported later in the report which reads, “Transformation is demonstrated using indicators, conferences, documents and legal motions. However, the reality is that deep structural, political and social constraints continue to hinder sustainable improvements to Central Africans’ livelihoods. To confront these challenges, to establish peace nationwide and to prevent the recurrence of violent conflict in CAR, external actors must commit to long-term engagement for the foreseeable future.” If change is to come to the country, international intervention on both humanitarian and military aspects is of utmost importance.
The stability of the Central African Republic is heavily dependent upon foreign aid in order to properly contain the current situation. To remove such help could have disastrous ramifications for civilians, as has been seen in affairs such as the recent removal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan. There are implications within the international community which burden dominant nations with the obligation to uplift its fellow nations in need. In the words of British diplomat Rory Stewart, “The question shouldn’t be what we ought to do, but what we can do.” What can be done must be done with swiftness if the CAR is to ever see some form of stability. The civil unrest found in the Central African Republic is not unique, and surely fellow nations will find themselves compelled to uplift the CAR in hopes that it will contribute to the overall wellbeing of the international community.
Bibliography:
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