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15-21 February 2016

Weekly Media Monitoring report for the Central African Republic
Posted on February 24, 2016

Contents

Compiled by Christina Murphy

  1. Touadera wins presidential electionTouadera wins presidential election
1. Touadera wins presidential election

"Ex-PM Touadera wins Central African Republic presidential vote." Reuters, 21 February 2016. In English.

  • The electoral commission in CAR announced that former prime minister Faustin Archange Touadera won the presidential elections with 62.71% of the vote.
  • Anicet Georges Dologuélé, the losing candidate, reportedly said that he would respect the results of the election, despite "massive fraud" in the second round.
  • A spokesman for Touadera called for calm in the country and urged citizens to join him in the pursuit of "reconciliation and recovery." 
  • The results must now be confirmed by the Constitutional Court within 8 days to become final.

Marboua, Hippolyte. "Central African Republic: New president vows unity." Associated Press, 21 February 2016. In English.

  • In his first remarks since being named president, Faustin Archange Touadera said that he hoped to make CAR "united, cohesive, and prosperous."  He also said that he plans to focus on job creation for youth in the country.
  • Touadera's opponent, Anicet Georges Dologuélé, did not challenge the results, although he expressed concern about voting irregularities.
  • The UN mission in CAR issued a statement on Saturday praising Dologuélé's peaceful concession, saying that it "illustrates his statesmanlike stature."

"Faustin Archange Touadera salue le patriotisme d'Anicet Georges Dologuélé." Radio Ndeke Luka, 21 February 2016. In French.

  • Following the announcement of the official results of the presidential elections in CAR, the losing candidate, Anicet Georges Dologuélé, issued a statement accepting the results of the elections.
  • The winning candidate, Faustin Archange Touadera, also issued a statement thanking Dologuélé and praising his patriotism and love of the country.
  • Touadera, a former prime minister and mathematics professor, also called for peace and unity in the country. The article notes that during the election period he was able to gain support from both ex-Seleka and anti-balaka groups, as well as fellow candidates in the first round of elections. 
2. One person killed in LRA attack

“Une attaque de la LRA fait un mort au village Ngagan près de Bangassou.” Radio Ndeke Luka, 8 February 2016. In French

  • Fighters from the Lord’s Resistance Army attacked the village of Ngagan, about 70 km from Bangassou, over the weekend.
  • One person was killed in the attack, and 17 people were taken hostage. 12 of those hostages were later released.
  • This attack came four days after an attack in the nearby town of Mabo, during which 21 people were kidnapped.
  • MINUSCA recently announced that international forces will increase their operations in the area, but there has been little evidence of action.
  • Members of an ex-Seleka group, the FPRC, announced that they had captured a commander of the LRA and turned him over to American forces in eastern CAR.

 

3. New UN report calls for an end to impunity in CAR

“L’ONU demande des mesures urgentes contre l’impunité en Centrafrique.” Centrafrique Presse Info (CPI), 11 February 2016. In French.

  • A new report from MINUSCA is calling for urgent action against impunity for human rights violations committed throughout the country in September and October of last year.
  • The report details a series of human rights violations, including the destruction of goods, burning homes and the theft of items belonging to intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations.
  • The head of MINUSCA, Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, called on domestic authorities to “take effective measures so that the responsible parties are brought to justice.” 
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