120 servicemen trained on public relations

The UN Peace-building Office in the Central African Republic, known as BONUCA, concluded on Thursday a three-day seminar on public relations, which was attended by 120 servicemen. The servicemen were trained on "the necessity of a good relationship between military men and civilians", Col Mamoudou Maiga, BONUCA's military adviser, told IRIN on Friday. The CAR has a history of gross human rights violations committed by armed people during civil strife. During a rebellion in the northwest from October 2002 to March 2003, fighters loyal to former CAR army chief of staff Francois Bozize as well as Congolese rebels loyal to Jean-Pierre Bemba, who were in the country to support President Ange-Felix Patasse, were reported to have committed human rights violations against civilians. The conflict worsened the relationship between armed groups and civilians. "Most of the excesses committed during the armed conflicts in the CAR were not perpetrated by professional military men but by civilians who joined rebellions," Maiga said. He said a serviceman was first of all a citizen of a country, like a civilian, and should respect human beings. State-owned Radio Centrafrique quoted on Friday another BONUCA official, Dominique Wooters, as saying, "The vicious circle of military crises which generated misery must be broken." She added that servicemen should be trained to be responsible citizens. Maiga said participants at the BONUCA seminar urged politicians to desist from using the army to achieve their political goals. The participants said the armed forces should remain neutral and appealed to the government to provide the means needed to help armed forces personnel in the performance of their duties.