Regional summit to discuss insecurity

On the eve of Chadian President Idriss Deby’s inauguration ceremony this Tuesday, six Central African heads of state will meet in the Chadian capital N’djamena to discuss growing instability in the region. Monday’s meeting brings together heads of state from all member countries of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC), Cameroon, Central African Republic (CAR), Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. According to CEMAC and Chadian government sources, the extraordinary meeting was prompted by heavy fighting last month between anti-government Chadian rebels sheltering in CAR, a local militia group, and the CAR army which left over 30 rebels and soldiers dead. “It is principally the use of northern CAR by the Chadian rebels and the presence in [the same region] of rebels hostile to CAR President [Francois] Bozize that will be discussed during the summit,” a member of the CEMAC secretariat who asked not to be named told IRIN in N’djamena on Saturday. According to the same source, the heads of state will be discussing how to work with the international community to prevent further fighting in the region. United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan warned in mid-April “if there is another escalation [of fighting] in Chad you risk destabilising the whole region, not just Chad but also the Central African Republic, a sort of domino effect”. He was speaking days after Chadian rebels sheltering in Sudan and CAR launched a deadly attack on N’djamena. The UN is discussing the deployment of a peacekeeping force in western Sudan and eastern Chad to block fighting between rebels and the Chadian and Sudanese armies, and to stop attacks on civilians. Deby won a third term in May elections after pushing through a referendum to lift the constitutional two-term limit. Most opposition parties boycotted the ballot. Originally set up to promote economic integration among its members, which share the CFA franc currency, CEMAC has been expanded to include other cross-border issues like extradition, judicial cooperation and security. The six members have signed a pact of non-aggression, solidarity and mutual assistance. Also up for discussion is the development of a CEMAC free market, border controls and freedom of movement, and a project to create a regional airline. mn/nr/ss