Central African Republic

 

Bureau of African Affairs                                                     
June 2007                                                                     
                                                                       
  Background Note: Central African Republic                                   
                                    
  A man fishes in a dugout canoe on the                                       
  Obangui river, with the city of                                             
  Bangui in the background, Central                                           
  African Republic. March 9, 2004. [©                                         
  AP Images]                                                                  
                                                                       
  Flag of Central African Republic is four equal horizontal bands of blue     
  (top), white, green, and yellow with a vertical red band in center; there is
  a yellow five-pointed star on the hoist side of the blue band.              
                                                                       
  PROFILE                                                                     
                                                                       
  OFFICIAL NAME:                                                              
  Central African Republic                                                    
                                                                       
  Geography                                                                   
  Area: 622,984 sq. km. (242,000 sq. mi.); slightly smaller than Texas.       
  Cities: Capital--Bangui (pop. 690,000). Other cities--Berberati (56,867),   
  Bouar (39,676), Bambari (32,603), Bangassou (24,450), Bossangoa (31,723),   
  Mbaiki (16,901), and Carnot (31,324).                                       
  Terrain: Rolling plain 600 meters-700 meters (1,980 ft.-2,310 ft.) above sea
  level; scattered hills in northeast and southwest.                          
  Climate: Tropical, ranging from humid equatorial in the south to            
  Sahelo-Sudanese in the north; hot, dry winters with mild to hot, wet summers.
                                                                       
  People                                                                      
  Nationality: Noun and adjective--Central African(s).                        
  Population (July 2007 est.): 4,369,038.                                     
  Annual growth rate (2007 est.): 1.505%.                                     
  Ethnic groups: More than 80; Baya 33%, Banda 27%, Sara 10%, Mandja 13%, Mboum
  7%, M'baka 4%, Yakoma 4%, other 2%.                                         
  Religions: Protestant 25%, Roman Catholic 25%, Muslim 15%, indigenous beliefs
  35%.                                                                        
  Languages: Sangho (official), Sangho (national).                            
  Education: Years compulsory--6. Enrollment--primary school 75%.             
  Literacy--50%.                                                              
  Health: Infant mortality rate--115 deaths/1,000. Life expectancy--avg. 43   
  yrs.                                                                        
  Work force (approx. 53% of pop.): Agriculture--75%; industry--6%; commerce  
  and services--4%; government--15%.                                          
                                                                       
  Government                                                                  
  Type: Republic.                                                             
  Independence: August 13, 1960.                                              
  Constitution: Passed by referendum December 29, 1994; adopted January 1995. 
  Suspended by decree in March 2003. New constitution passed by referendum    
  December 5, 2004.                                                           
  Branches: Executive--president, prime minister, and Council of Ministers.   
  Legislative--unicameral National Assembly. Judicial--Constitutional Court,  
  inferior courts, criminal courts, Court of Appeals.                         
  Administrative subdivisions: 16 prefectures, commune of Bangui.             
  Political parties: Alliance for Democracy and Progress (ADP), Central African
  Democratic Assembly (RDC), Civic Forum (FC), Democratic Forum (FODEM),      
  Liberal Democratic Party (PLD), Movement for Democracy and Development (MDD),
  Movement for the Liberation of the Central African People (MLPC), Patriotic 
  Front for Progress (FPP), People's Union for the Republic (UPR), National   
  Unity Party (PUN), and Social Democratic Party (PSD).                       
  Suffrage: Universal over 21.                                                
                                                                       
  Economy                                                                     
  GDP (2006): $1.542 billion.                                                 
  Annual real GDP growth rate: -7.2% (2003); 0.5% (2004 est.); 3% (2006 est.).
  Per capita income (2002): $260.                                             
  Avg. inflation rate: 4.2% (2003); 3.2 (2004 est.).                          
  Natural resources: Diamonds, uranium, timber, gold, oil.                    
  Agriculture (2002, 54.8% of GDP): Products--Timber, cotton, coffee, tobacco,
  foodcrops, livestock. Cultivated land--unavailable.                         
  Industry (2002, 21.6% of GDP): Types--Diamond mining, sawmills, breweries,  
  textiles, footwear, assembly of bicycles and motorcycles, and soap.         
  Services (2002): 23.6% of GDP.                                              
  Trade (2004): Exports--$161 million; diamonds, coffee, cotton, timber,      
  tobacco. Major markets--Belgium, Italy, France, Luxembourg, Germany, Egypt, 
  Spain, and Cote d'Ivoire. Imports--$119 million; food, textiles, petroleum  
  products, machinery, electrical equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals,       
  pharmaceuticals, consumer goods, industrial products. Major                 
  suppliers--France, United States, Cote d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Germany, Japan.  
  Central government budget (2002): $226 million.                             
  Defense (2002, 2.4% of budget): $5.4 million.                               
  Fiscal year: Calendar year.                                                 
                                                                       
  PEOPLE                                                                      
  There are more than 80 ethnic groups in the Central African Republic        
  (C.A.R.), each with its own language. About 75% are Baya-Mandjia and Banda  
  (40% largely located in the northern and central parts of the country), and 
  4% are M'Baka (southwestern corner of the C.A.R.). Sangho, the language of a
  small group along the Oubangui River, is the national language spoken by the
  majority of Central Africans. Only a small part of the population has more  
  than an elementary knowledge of French, the official language.              
                                                                       
  More than 55% of the population of the C.A.R. lives in rural areas. The chief
  agricultural areas are around the Bossangoa and Bambari. Bangui, Berberati, 
  Bangassou, and Bossangoa are the most densely populated urban centers.      
                                                                       
  HISTORY                                                                     
  The C.A.R. appears to have been settled from at least the 7th century on by 
  overlapping empires, including the Kanem-Bornou, Ouaddai, Baguirmi, and     
  Dafour groups based in Lake Chad and the Upper Nile. Later, various         
  sultanates claimed present-day C.A.R, using the entire Oubangui region as a 
  slave reservoir, from which slaves were traded north across the Sahara and to
  West Africa for export by European traders. Population migration in the 18th
  and 19th centuries brought new migrants into the area, including the Zande, 
  Banda, and Baya-Mandjia.                                                    
                                                                       
  In 1875 the Egyptian sultan Rabah governed Upper-Oubangui, which included   
  present-day C.A.R. Europeans, primarily the French, German, and Belgians,   
  arrived in the area in 1885. The French consolidated their legal claim to the
  area through an 1887 convention with Congo Free State, which granted France 
  possession of the right bank of the Oubangui River. Two years later, the    
  French established an outpost at Bangui, and in 1894, Oubangui-Chari became a
  French territory. However, the French did not consolidate their control over
  the area until 1903 after having defeated the forces of the Egyptian sultan 
  Rabah and established colonial administration throughout the territory. In  
  1906, the Oubangui-Chari territory was united with the Chad colony; in 1910,
  it became one of the four territories of the Federation of French Equatorial
  Africa (A.E.F.), along with Chad, Congo (Brazzaville), and Gabon. The next 30
  years were marked by small-scale revolts against French rule and the        
  development of a plantation-style economy.                                  
                                                                       
  In August 1940, the territory responded, with the rest of the A.E.F., to the
  call from Gen. Charles de Gaulle to fight for Free France. After World War  
  II, the French Constitution of 1946 inaugurated the first of a series of    
  reforms that led eventually to complete independence for all French         
  territories in western and equatorial Africa. In 1946, all A.E.F. inhabitants
  were granted French citizenship and allowed to establish local assemblies.  
  The assembly in C.A.R. was led by Barthelemy Boganda, a Catholic priest who 
  also was known for his forthright statements in the French Assembly on the  
  need for African emancipation. In 1956 French legislation eliminated certain
  voting inequalities and provided for the creation of some organs of         
  self-government in each territory. The French constitutional referendum of  
  September 1958 dissolved the A.E.F., and on December 1 of the same year the 
  Assembly declared the birth of the Central African Republic with Boganda as 
  head of government. Boganda ruled until his death in a March 1959 plane     
  crash. His cousin, David Dacko, replaced him, governing the country until   
  1965 and overseeing the country's declaration of independence on August 13, 
  1960.                                                                       
                                                                       
  On January 1, 1966, following a swift and almost bloodless coup, Col.       
  Jean-Bedel Bokassa assumed power as President of the Republic. Bokassa      
  abolished the constitution of 1959, dissolved the National Assembly, and    
  issued a decree that placed all legislative and executive powers in the hands
  of the president. On December 4, 1976, the republic became a monarchy with  
  the promulgation of the imperial constitution and the proclamation of the   
  president as Emperor Bokassa I. His regime was characterized by numerous    
  human rights atrocities.                                                    
                                                                       
  Following riots in Bangui and the murder of between 50 and 200              
  schoolchildren, former President Dacko led a successful French-backed coup  
  against Bokassa on September 20, 1979. Dacko's efforts to promote economic  
  and political reforms proved ineffectual, and on September 1, 1981, he in   
  turn was overthrown in a bloodless coup by Gen. Andre Kolingba. For 4 years,
  Kolingba led the country as head of the Military Committee for National     
  Recovery (CRMN). In 1985 the CRMN was dissolved, and Kolingba named a new   
  cabinet with increased civilian participation, signaling the start of a     
  return to civilian rule. The process of democratization quickened in 1986   
  with the creation of a new political party, the Rassemblement Democratique  
  Centrafricain (RDC), and the drafting of a new constitution that subsequently
  was ratified in a national referendum. General Kolingba was sworn in as     
  constitutional President on November 29, 1986. The constitution established a
  National Assembly made up of 52 elected deputies, elected in July 1987. Due 
  to mounting political pressure, in 1991 President Kolingba announced the    
  creation of a national commission to rewrite the constitution to provide for
  a multi-party system. Multi-party presidential elections were conducted in  
  1992 but were later cancelled due to serious logistical and other           
  irregularities. Ange Felix Patasse won a second-round victory in rescheduled
  elections held in October 1993, and was re-elected for another 6-year term in
  September 1999.                                                             
                                                                       
  Salary arrears, labor unrest, and unequal treatment of military officers from
  different ethnic groups led to three mutinies against the Patasse government
  in 1996 and 1997. The French succeeded in quelling the disturbances, and an 
  African peacekeeping force (MISAB) occupied Bangui until 1998 when they were
  relieved by a UN peacekeeping mission (MINURCA). Economic difficulties caused
  by the looting and destruction during the 1996 and 1997 mutinies, energy    
  crises, and government mismanagement continued to trouble Patasse's         
  government through 2000. In March 2000 the last of the MINURCA forces       
  departed Bangui. In May 2001 rebel forces within the C.A.R. military, led by
  former President and Army General Andre Kolingba, attempted a military coup.
  After several days of heavy fighting, forces loyal to the government, aided 
  by a small number of troops from Libya and the Congolese rebel Movement for 
  the Liberation of the Congo (MLC), were able to put down the coup attempt. In
  November 2001, there were several days of sporadic gunfire between members of
  the Presidential Security Unit and soldiers defending sacked Chief of Staff 
  of the Armed Forces Francois Bozize, who fled to Chad. In mid-2002 there were
  skirmishes on the C.A.R.-Chad border.                                       
                                                                       
  In October 2002, former Army Chief of Staff Francois Bozize launched a coup 
  attempt that culminated in the March 15, 2003 overthrow of President Patasse
  and the takeover of the capital. General Bozize declared himself President, 
  suspended the constitution, and dissolved the National Assembly. Since      
  seizing power, President Francois Bozize has made significant progress in   
  restoring order to Bangui and parts of the country, and professed a desire to
  promote national reconciliation, strengthen the economy, and improve the    
  human rights situation. A new constitution was passed by referendum in      
  December 2004. In spring 2005, the country held its first elections since the
  March 2003 coup. The first round of presidential and legislative elections  
  were held in March 2005, and in May, President Bozize defeated former Prime 
  Minister Martin Ziguele in a second-round runoff. On June 13, Bozize named  
  Elie Dote, an agricultural engineer who had worked at the African Development
  Bank, his new Prime Minister.                                               
                                                                       
  GOVERNMENT AND POLITICAL CONDITIONS                                         
  The government is a republic comprised of a strong executive branch         
  (president, vice president, prime minister, and council of ministers), and  
  weak legislative and judicial branches. Government and opposition party     
  members, as well as civil society and the military are represented in the   
  three branches, although the president appoints the vice president, prime   
  minister, members of the cabinet (Council of Ministers), top military       
  officials, and managers of national parastatals.                            
                                                                       
  The National Assembly is made up of 109 members elected by popular vote to  
  serve 5-year terms. Legislative elections were held in 1998; in contested   
  results, the government's Movement for the Liberation of the Central African
  People (MLPC) won just over 50% control of the legislative body. Legislative
  elections were last held in spring 2005.                                    
                                                                       
  For administration purposes, the country is divided into 16 prefectures that
  are further divided into over 60 subprefectures; the commune of Bangui is   
  administered separately. The president currently appoints heads of these    
  administrative units, called "prefets" and "sous-prefets". There are 174    
  communes, each headed by a mayor and council appointed by the president.    
  Suffrage is universal over the age of 21.                                   
                                                                       
  The judicial sector encompasses the Constitutional Court, Court of Cassation,
  Court of Appeals, criminal and civil courts, Labor Court, and Juvenile Court,
  although several of these courts have insufficient resources and trained    
  personnel to operate on a regular basis. The Criminal Court of Bangui sits  
  once or twice a year, usually for 1 or 2 months each session. Judges are    
  appointed by the president; executive influence often impedes transparent   
  handling of judicial affairs. Military courts exist but are currently only  
  used to try military personnel for crimes committed in the course of duty.  
  There are a limited number of formal courts currently functioning outside   
  Bangui; traditional arbitration and negotiation play a major role in        
  administering domestic, property, and probate law.                          
                                                                       
  The Central African Republic has a vibrant civil society, with numerous     
  professional, labor, and local development associations actively carrying out
  campaigns and gaining greater local and international credibility.          
                                                                       
  The C.A.R. Government's human rights record remains flawed. There are       
  continued reports of arbitrary detainment, torture and, to a lesser degree, 
  extra judicial killings. Journalists have occasionally been threatened, and 
  prison conditions remain harsh.                                             
                                                                       
  Principal Government Officials                                              
  President of the Republic, Head of State--Francois Bozize                   
  Prime Minister--Elie Dote                                                   
  State Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and Francophony--Mr.
  Jean-Paul NGOUPANDE                                                         
  Minister of Finance and Budget--Mr. Théodore DABANGA                        
  Ambassador to the United States--Emmanuel Touaboy                           
  Ambassador to the United Nations--Fernand Poukre-Kono                       
                                                                       
  The Central African Republic maintains an embassy in the United States at   
  1618-22nd Street, NW, Washington, DC (tel: 202-483-7800/01, fax:            
  202-332-9893).                                                              
                                                                       
  ECONOMY                                                                     
  The Central African Republic is classified as one of the world's least      
  developed countries, with a 2002 annual per capita income of $260. Sparsely 
  populated and landlocked, the nation is overwhelmingly agrarian, with the   
  vast bulk of the population engaged in subsistence farming and 55% of the   
  country's gross domestic product (GDP) arising from agriculture. Principal  
  crops include cotton, food crops (cassava, yams, bananas, maize), coffee, and
  tobacco. In 2002, timber accounted for about 30% of export earnings. The    
  country also has rich but largely unexploited natural resources in the form 
  of diamonds, gold, uranium, and other minerals. There may be oil deposits   
  along the country's northern border with Chad. Diamonds are the only of these
  mineral resources currently being developed; in 2002, diamond exports made up
  close to 50% of the C.A.R.'s export earnings. Industry contributes only about
  20% of the country's GDP, with artesian diamond mining, breweries, and      
  sawmills making up the bulk of the sector. Services currently account for   
  about 25% of GDP, largely because of the oversized government bureaucracy and
  high transportation costs arising from the country's landlocked position.   
                                                                       
  Hydroelectric plants based in Boali provide much of the country's limited   
  electrical supply. Fuel supplies must be barged in via the Ubangui River or 
  trucked overland through Cameroon, resulting in frequent shortages of       
  gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel. The C.A.R.'s transportation and communication
  network is limited. The country has only 650 kilometers of paved road,      
  limited international and no domestic air service (except charters), and does
  not possess a railroad. Commercial traffic on the Ubangui River is impossible
  from December to May or June, and conflict in the region has sometimes      
  prevented shipments from moving between Kinshasa and Bangui. The telephone  
  system functions, albeit imperfectly. Four radio stations currently operate 
  in the C.A.R., as well as one television station. Numerous newspapers and   
  pamphlets are published on a regular basis, and at least one company has    
  begun providing Internet service.                                           
                                                                       
  In the more than 40 years since independence, the C.A.R. has made slow      
  progress toward economic development. Economic mismanagement, poor          
  infrastructure, a limited tax base, scarce private investment, and adverse  
  external conditions have led to deficits in both its budget and external    
  trade. Its debt burden is considerable, and the country has seen a decline in
  per capita gross national product (GNP) over the last 30 years. Structural  
  adjustment programs with the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF)
  and interest-free credits to support investments in the agriculture,        
  livestock, and transportation sectors have had limited impact. The World Bank
  and IMF are now encouraging the government to concentrate exclusively on    
  implementing much-needed economic reforms to jumpstart the economy and      
  defining its fundamental priorities with the aim of alleviating poverty. As a
  result, many of the state-owned business entities have been privatized and  
  limited efforts have been made to standardize and simplify labor and        
  investment codes and to address problems of corruption. The C.A.R. Government
  has adopted the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC)     
  Charter of Investment, and is in the process of adopting a new labor code.  
                                                                       
  DEFENSE                                                                     
  Under military restructuring plans formulated 1999-2000, the civilian       
  Minister of Defense controlled and directed all armed forces, including the 
  Presidential Security Unit (UPS), which had previously been seen as a militia
  supporting the president. In April 2001, the C.A.R. armed forces numbered   
  about 3,000, including army, navy, air force, gendarmerie, national police, 
  Presidential Security Unit, and local police personnel. An estimated 1,200  
  members of the army and gendarmerie fled to the Democratic Republic of the  
  Congo following the failed coup attempt of May 2001.                        
                                                                       
  Following the 2003 coup, Central African Economic and Monetary Community    
  (CEMAC-Communauté Économique et Monétaire de l'Afrique Centrale) and C.A.R. 
  armed forces assumed responsibility for securing the capital city. CEMAC    
  forces currently total approximately 400 soldiers, which are supported by an
  additional 200 French soldiers. The C.A.R. armed forces number approximately
  2,000. Working with the French, the C.A.R. military is attempting to provide
  professional training and decentralize its troops in an effort to combat road
  bandits, thievery, and poaching throughout the C.A.R. territory.            
                                                                       
  FOREIGN RELATIONS                                                           
  The Central African Republic is an active member in several Central African 
  organizations, including the Economic and Monetary Union (CEMAC), the       
  Economic Community of Central African States (CEEAC) Central African Peace  
  and Security Council (COPAX--still under formation), and the Central Bank of
  Central African States (BEAC). Standardization of tax, customs, and security
  arrangements between the Central African states is a major foreign policy   
  objective of the C.A.R. Government. The C.A.R. is a participant in the      
  Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CEN-SAD), and the Organization of African
  Unity (OAU--now the African Union). Libya and, to a lesser degree, Sudan have
  shown increased interest in cooperation with the C.A.R. over the last year. 
                                                                       
  Outside of Africa, the C.A.R. maintains fairly close ties to France, albeit 
  considerably reduced from previous years. In the late 1990s, France withdrew
  forces stationed in the C.A.R.; drops in its external assistance budget have
  reduced French military and social development aid to the country. Other    
  multilateral organizations--including the World Bank, International Monetary
  Fund, UN agencies, European Union, and the African Development Bank--and    
  bilateral donors--including Germany, Japan, the European Union, China, and  
  the United States--are significant development partners for the C.A.R.      
                                                                       
  Seventeen countries have resident diplomatic or consular representatives in 
  Bangui, and the C.A.R. maintains approximately the same number of missions  
  abroad. Since early 1989 the government recognizes both Israel and the      
  Palestinian state. The C.A.R. also maintains diplomatic relations with China.
  The C.A.R. generally joins other African and developing country states in   
  consensus positions on major policy issues.                                 
                                                                       
  U.S.-C.A.R. RELATIONS                                                       
  The U.S. and C.A.R. enjoy generally good relations, although concerns over  
  the pace of political and economic liberalization and human rights have     
  affected the degree of support provided by the U.S. to the country. The U.S.
  Embassy in Bangui was briefly closed as a result of the 1996-97 mutinies. It
  reopened in 1998 with limited staff, but U.S. Agency for International      
  Development (USAID) and Peace Corps missions previously operating in Bangui 
  did not return. The American Embassy in Bangui again temporarily suspended  
  operations on November 2, 2002 in response to security concerns raised by the
  October 2002 launch of Francois Bozize's 2003 military coup.                
                                                                       
  The Embassy reopened in January 2005; however, there currently is limited   
  U.S. diplomatic/consular representation in the C.A.R. As a result, the      
  ability of the Embassy to provide services to American citizens remains     
  extremely limited. The Department of State approved the lifting of Section  
  508 aid restrictions triggered by the coup; U.S. assistance to the Central  
  African Republic had been prohibited except in the areas of humanitarian aid
  and support for democratization.                                            
                                                                       
  The U.S. Department of State continues to warn U.S. citizens against travel 
  to the Central African Republic. Americans in the C.A.R. are urged to       
  exercise caution and maintain security awareness at all times. U.S. citizens
  who travel to or remain in the Central African Republic and need emergency  
  assistance should contact the U.S. Embassy in Yaounde, Cameroon at telephone
  (237) 223-4014, (237) 223-0512, fax (237) 223-0753, and 223-0581 (Consular).
  Americans may also contact the American Embassy in N'djamena, Chad at       
  telephone (235) 51-70-09, 51-92-33 or 51-90-52 and fax (235) 51-56-54. As   
  noted above, since the United States has a limited diplomatic presence in the
  Central African Republic, the ability to provide services to U.S. citizens in
  the C.A.R. is extremely limited.                                            
                                                                       
  Principal U.S. Officials                                                    
  Charge d'Affaires, U.S. Embassy Bangui--James Panos                         
                                                                       
  The U.S. Embassy in Bangui is located on Blvd David Dacko, Bangui (tel:     
  236-61-02-00, fax: 61-44-94, B.P. 924, Bangui).                             
                                                                       
  TRAVEL AND BUSINESS INFORMATION                                             
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  For the latest security information, Americans living and traveling abroad  
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  information. Telephone: 1-877-4USA-PPT (1-877-487-2778). Customer service   
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  Travelers can check the latest health information with the U.S. Centers for 
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  (877-394-8747) and a web site at http://www.cdc.gov/travel/index.htm give the
  most recent health advisories, immunization recommendations or requirements,
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  booklet entitled "Health Information for International Travel" (HHS         
  publication number CDC-95-8280) is available from the U.S. Government       
  Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402, tel. (202) 512-1800.                 
                                                                       
  Further Electronic Information                                              
  Department of State Web Site. Available on the Internet at http://          
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  working abroad through its website http://www.osac.gov                      
                                                                       
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