Long, hard road to democracy //Yearender//

Preparations for democratic elections and efforts to restore security across the country featured greatly in the Central African Republic (CAR) in 2004. Despite setbacks of insecurity and human rights violations, events in the year indicated that after years of instability, the country could be on the verge of democracy. A late December report by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to the UN Security Council summarises the mood in the country: "While the political and economic fortunes of the Central African Republic are gradually improving, human rights abuses continue and the country's situation remains precarious ahead of presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for mid-February." Indeed, Annan's report noted that in the second half of 2004, there had been several registered cases of human rights abuses, "including summary executions, highway robberies of civilians, abusive arrests, threats and acts of harassment". "Most have been attributed to either the defence forces or law enforcement members," Annan said. "However, when the perpetrators are identified, they are punished by the military hierarchy or brought to justice." For CAR leader Francois Bozize, the focus was on restoring security and preparing for elections. He even bowed to demands by the men, known as the "Liberators", who helped him seize power when, in April 2004, he paid each of them the local equivalent of US $1,000 before they left for Chad. Bozize had staged a six-month rebellion, mostly in the northwest near the border with Chad, which culminated in his taking power on 15 March 2003 from President Ange-Felix Patasse. The Liberators and other fighters loyal to him helped him fight the government's forces that had the support of a then Congolese rebel group, the Mouvement liberation du Congo (MLC), led by Jean-Pierre Bemba. Bozize paid the Liberators after they had put up roadblocks in the PK 12, a suburb of the capital, Bangui, protesting non-payment for their role in Bozize's rebellion. Eight deaths were reported during the Liberators' demonstrations. Upon receiving their payment, the Liberators split into two groups on their way out towards the north of Bangui: one took the road of Kaga-Bandoro and the other one took the Bossangoa road. Peacekeeping troops from the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC) and government soldiers escorted the groups. However, it later emerged that not all the liberators returned to Chad. Some continue to harass and loot the local populations in the northwester town of Bozoum, capital of Ouham Pende Province, near the border with Chad. Also in April, the government deployed 200 soldiers to fight banditry in the northern and northwestern provinces of Kemo, Nana-Grebizi, Ouham and Ouham-Pende. The soldiers of the Mixed Intervention Battalion (Bataillon Mixte d’Intervention et d’Appui) had just completed six months of training, financed by France under a military cooperation agreement. In November and December, other groups of bandits were spotted along the CAR-Sudan border in the east of the country. The government downplayed this development by saying that the groups were highway bandits although other sources said they were probably rebels loyal to Patasse and former Defence Minister Jean-Jacques Demafouth. In December, Bozize's transitional government intensified efforts to restore and reinforce security countrywide by launching a project of demobilisation and reinsertion of former-combatants and support to communities, known in by its French acronym PRAC - Programme de Reinsertion des ex-Combattants et d’Appui aux Communités. Many CAR citizens believe that February's general elections cannot be free and fair without security. The electoral process itself has been changed several times over the course of 2004. Presidential and legislative elections were initially scheduled for early January 2005, but have been postponed to 13 February 2005. However, a referendum on the country's constitution was finally held on 5 December after several postponements. The results of the referendum, announced on 20 December, had CAR voters overwhelmingly approving a new constitution. On 11 December, Bozize announced that he would run for president as an independent candidate and on 30 December a Transitional Constitutional Court in Bangui cleared five of 15 candidates to contest the presidency, a move that was met with opposition by several parties opposed to Bozize. The five presidential candidates include Bozize, former President Andre Kolingba, current Vice-President Abel Goumba, lawyer Henri Pouzere and former minister Auguste Boukanga. The Transitional Constitutional Court did not endorse the candidature of Patasse, his former Prime Minister Martin Ziguele, Demafouth, former Prime Minister Jean-Paul Ngoupande, former minister Charles Massi, former Bangui Mayor Olivier Gabirault and Josué Binoua, a pastor. The court's decision means that Patasse's party, the Mouvement de liberation du people Centrafricain (MLPC), no longer has a candidate for the presidency. The court said some of the candidates had been blocked for failing to deposit the required $10,000 or for not owning land or homes in the towns in which they live. Others were disqualified for discrepancies in the documents they presented to the electoral commission. In his December report, Annan said it was critical that CAR's political parties "preserve the consensus", so that elections could be successfully staged and the nation could move away from years of instability and violence. He said they must try to "bring about a tranquil political environment" by reaffirming their commitment to the electoral process.