Luanda, ANGOLA, January 19 - The Angolan Head of State, João Lourenço, considered on Friday the current situation in the Central African Republic (CAR) unjust and dangerous, where the government has been prevented by the United Nations Security Council from equipping its army to deal with the attacks of rebels.,

  João Lourenço, who was speaking at the ceremony of New Year greetings with the Diplomatic Corps accredited to Angola, recalled that in CAR rebel forces have had worrying advances in the military field.

"This fact is of great concern to us because the government of the Central African Republic is conditioned and limited, in its action to defend the national territory and provide security and protection for its country, by the United Nations Security Council, which prevents it from equipping its army with the means necessary to face the attacks of the rebel groups that operate in the country", said the Angolan statesman.

"We have appealed repeatedly for the revision of this situation, which in our view is unjust and dangerous," said João Lourenço in the presence of 92 members of the Diplomatic Corps.

The Central African Republic has fallen into chaos and violence since 2013 after the overthrow of former President François Bozizé by several groups together in the so-called Séléka (which means coalition in the local lingua franca), which sparked opposition from other militias, grouped together under the designation Anti bBalaka.

The conflict in this country has already caused 700,000 displaced persons and 570,000 refugees and has placed 2.5 million people in need of humanitarian aid.

The government of President Faustin-Archange Touadéra, a former prime minister who won the 2016 presidential elections, controls about a fifth of the territory. The rest are divided by more than 15 militias who mostly seek money through kidnappings, extortion, blockade of communication channels, mineral resources (diamonds and gold, among others), cattle theft and slaughter of elephants for sale of ivory.

 

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