The UN and regional bodies have urged all political actors in the Central African Republic (CAR) to respect the country’s Constitutional Court decision on the Dec. 27 general elections.
Senior officials of the UN, European Union, African Union and the Commission of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) made the appeal in a joint communique on Monday evening.
In its decision earlier on Monday, the court upheld the victory of incumbent President Faustin-Archange Touadéra, shunning reports and allegations of poor voter turnout.
The opposition has reportedly dismissed Touadéra’s victory as illegitimate, and demanded a re-run of the elections.
In the communique, the organisations pleaded with all sides to work towards consolidating democracy and the rule of law in the country.
Stressing the importance of dialogue in the quest for lasting peace and stability, they advised the central government to promote “national unity, respect for democratic principles, political and inclusive dialogue and good governance”.
The officials also called for strengthening of national institutions, pursuit of the peace process, fight against impunity, and the implementation of inclusive socio-economic initiatives.
These, they said, should include post-conflict reconstruction and development programmes to provide the people with the dividends of peace while alleviating their plight.
Since the election, six main rebel groups opposed to Touadéra’s election have formed an alliance with a threat to take control of the capital, Bangui.
The insurgents have launched series of attacks targeting government forces and UN peacekeepers.
The UN, EU, AU and ECCAS officials expressed concerns over escalating violence and coordinated attacks, including those aimed at capturing Bangui.
They strongly condemned the violence perpetrated by certain armed groups aimed at “undermining the electoral process and destabilise the country”.
The officials also flayed hate speech and incitement to violence fueled by disinformation campaigns.
“We encourage all actors to work together, in a peaceful climate, to create favorable conditions for the finalisation of the next stages of the electoral process, in particular the legislative elections,” they said.
The communique is signed by the AU Commissioner for Peace and Security
Amb. Smaïl Chergui and the President of ECCAS, Amb. Gilberto Veríssimo.
The others are UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Mr Jean-Pierre Lacroix, and the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Mr Josep Borrell.
