Central African Republic 2001
Yearbook 2001
Central African Republic. Since the beginning of the year, the Central African Republic was hit by protest strikes against missing wages to state employees, dismissed President Ange-Félix Patassé in April by Prime Minister Anicet Georges Dologuélé, who held that post for just over a year. Martin Ziguele was appointed new Prime Minister.
A coup attempt in late May led to more than a week’s fighting in the capital Bangui. At least 60 people were killed and 80,000 fled their homes. The coup attempt was defeated with the help of Libyan soldiers sent to the president’s rescue. Behind the coup attempt was former military dictator André Kolingba, who himself fled before he could be arrested.
The conflict again exposed the contradictions between peoples from the southern part of the country and those in the north that led to three army myths since the mid-1990s. During his time as president in 1981-93, Kolingba filled the army with members of his ethnic group Yakoma from the south, while President Patassé surrounded himself with his own people group sara from the north. Later, Patassé reshaped the government and replaced all four ministers responsible for security issues. Also Commander-in-Chief François Bozize was dismissed but refused to resign. When he was arrested, soldiers were loyal to him and a new revolt was imminent. With the help of Libyan soldiers, the army drove away Bozize, who fled to neighboring Chad.
The unrest hurt the already weak economy and the state budget for 2001 slimmed down by 31% in September due to sharply reduced government revenue.
- Abbreviationfinder: lists typical abbreviations and country overview of Central African Republic, including bordering countries, geography, history, politics, and economics.
September
Touadéra stands for re-election
President Faustin-Archange Touadéra announces that he intends to stand for re-election in the December presidential election. At the same time, there are reports that the election may not be held in time, as, among other things, the registration of voters has been delayed.
Bishops distance themselves from warlords
September 6
The bishops of the Central African Republic distance themselves from all armed groups in the country. This is done in an open letter ahead of the presidential election in December. According to the bishops, the warlords have been able to take advantage of the peace agreement that was concluded in 2019 between the government and 14 rebel groups (see February 2019) and which did not lead to peace in the country. They also criticize the government for not doing enough to achieve peace, but put some hope in the government army, which has been rebuilt with the help of the EU and Russia, to be able to make the country more secure.
August
Samba-Panza is running in the presidential election
August 28th
Former Interim President Catherine Samba-Panza has announced she will run in the December 27 presidential election. She led the country between 2014 and 2016 after the severe crisis of 2012-2013. She says she made the decision after many people urged her to run.
Population 2001
According to Countryaah, the population of Central African Republic in 2001 was 4,038,271, ranking number 125 in the world. The population growth rate was 2.100% yearly, and the population density was 6.4824 people per km2.
Geopolitical Atlas
The Central African Republic (RC) has been an independent state since 1960, but with a history, in particular the recent one, that is rife. Far from the minimum goals of democracy, the Central African Republic has seen strong authoritarian, military and centralizing governments alternating, which have implemented a highly personalistic management of the country’s resources, not hesitating to appeal to international fighters and support in order to remain in power. The next general elections, to be held between the end of 2015 and the beginning of 2016, would be the second free ballot in the history of the country. The persistence of elements of instability and widespread violence, however, lead to a further postponement of the electoral round.
The geographical position contributes to the fragility of the country: the neighboring states – Chad, Sudan, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo and, to a lesser extent, Cameroon – are characterized by strong instability and crossed by long unresolved conflicts. The porous borders of the country and the morphology of the territory (sparsely inhabited and rich in forests), have favored the mobility and the establishment of bases of rebel factions of various countries, from Chad to Sudan and Darfur, passing through the members of the Lord’s Resistance Army (L ra), who fleeing Uganda would have taken refuge in the south of the Central African Republic. The movement of fighters is interconnected with arms trafficking, representing a security risk for most countries in the entire sub-Saharan belt. Permanent instability, the lack of outlets on the sea and the clear prevalence of the primary sector over GDP of the country have ensured that the Central African Republic was neglected by international powers, with the exception of France – which has always built strong relations with Bangui, considerably influencing the political events of the country -, and of China. Just Beijing, which represents the second economic partner of the Central African Republic in terms of number of exports, has considered the African country an essential hub for the passage of the Chinese Chad-Cameroon oil pipeline. In reality, the Central African Republic can count on the abundance of mineral resources (diamonds, gold, uranium, iron, copper) and on an extraordinary biodiversity.
