Political foes reconcile at national talks

After 40 years of political enmity, Central African Republic Prime Minister Abel Goumba and former President David Dacko made a historic reconciliation on Friday in the capital, Bangui, during the on-going national reconciliation talks.

Goumba, 77, and Dacko, 73, embraced before the 350 delegates attending the talks.

"I solemnly apologise to Abel Goumba, to his family and his political allies, for the harms I ordered during that difficult period," Dacko said in a message read out to the delegates.

Due to health complications, Dacko did not read out the message himself.

Dacko was the country's president from 1959 to 1966 and from 1979 to 1981. His enmity with Goumba started in 1959, when the nation's founding father, Barthelemy Boganda, died in a plane accident. The parliament then elected Dacko to replace Boganda, who was his cousin, to Goumba’s detriment. Subsequently, Dacko imprisoned Goumba to annihilate his opposition.

In response, Goumba told Dacko that he had forgotten all that happened during his political fight against him, which he compared to a boxing match.

"Each boxer has his style of fighting but after the fight the two boxers embrace each other," Goumba said. He added that it was time to put "a definitive end to what happened in the past". He said he had spent half of his lifetime in prison, exile and in the opposition.

Dacko also sought forgiveness for "mistakes" he committed during his tenure as president. His apology made him the second former head of state to do so, after former President Andre Kolingba who returned home from Uganda on Sunday.

Kolingba apologised to the nation on Tuesday when he attended the talks. He apologised for the May 2001 coup and for abuses committed under his 1981-1993 administration. He specifically apologised to Dacko, Goumba and current leader Francois Bozize for the harm he did to them.

Dacko said he had forgiven former President Kolingba and the Mouvement de liberation du people Centrafricain party of former President Ange-Felix Patasse. He also apologised to the family of his other cousin, former Emperor Jean Bedel Bokassa, whom he overthrew in September 1979, with the help of the French army.

The Goumba-Dacko reconciliation is considered a major step in the country's reconciliation process although the Patasse's absence at the talks remains a major obstacle to the efforts.

Meanwhile, the chairman of the talks coordination team, Isaac Zokoe, has announced that the national dialogue, which started on 15 September, would end on 15 October.

He said eight African heads of state were due in Bangui for the closing ceremony.