ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, November 27, 2015/APO (African Press Organization)/ —
As part of its support to the stabilization efforts in the Central African Republic (CAR) and as a follow-up to the Conclusions of the May 2015 Bangui Reconciliation Forum, the African Union (AU) Commission convened a Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) Sensitisation Workshop for the Central African Republic (CAR) stakeholders at the AU Headquarters, from 25 to 26 November 2015. Participants to the Workshop were drawn from the Ministries of Territorial Administration, Defence and Public Security of the CAR, as well as from political parties, the media, academia, civil society and religious groups. The AU Mission for the CAR and Central Africa (MISAC) and the AU Mission for Mali and the Sahel (MISAHEL), as well as United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), also participated in the Workshop.
The objective of the Workshop was to inform and educate participants about DDR concepts and approaches through sharing of experiences, lessons learnt and best practices in the implementation of DDR processes in diverse contexts. The Workshop also aimed at forging a common understanding on the implementation of DDR in the CAR. The participants agreed on the importance of national ownership as a cornerstone for the successful implementation of the DDR program in the CAR. They also agreed on the need to link DDR to Security Sector Reform (SSR) and to the overall efforts to stabilize the CAR. Furthermore, the participants stressed the need to complement the disarmament of ex-combatants with community disarmament, given the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in the country.
The AU, the UN and the Regional Centre for Small Arms in the Horn of Africa and Bordering States (RECSA) pledged to extend their full support to the CAR-led DDR and SSR efforts.
The Workshop took place against the backdrop of sustained efforts to successfully conclude the on-going transition in the CAR, with the holding of free, fair and transparent presidential and legislative elections in December 2015/January 2016.
