Central African Republic
Social tension rising in Central African Republic

afrol.com, 25 November - Tension is mounting between the Government and trade unions in the Central African Republic over unpaid salary arrears, to such a level that it endangers "peace and security in" the country, according to a worried Kofi Annan. 

On Friday, trade union members resumed their strike over pay arrears in Bangui, the capital, and protest marches were reported from the city. Striking civil servants and other workers earlier had called off their protest, which first began on 2 November, but downed tools again on Tuesday, according to IRIN. 

Sources in Bangui told IRIN the resumed strike would last a week and "could be extended". Friday's demonstration was dubbed a "peaceful protest march", and trade union leaders have warned that they will harden their stance by organising an operation to bring the entire country to a standstill and an "indefinite general strike".

Analysts have described the situation as explosive and warned of a "social implosion". The hard-won peace in the Central African Republic (CAR) is at great risk if the issue of pay arrears is not dealt with, one analyst cautioned. The disbursement of a second tranche of credit from the World Bank is still awaited in the country.

The demonstrations have been organised by a youth group named 'Flambeau centrafricain' (Central African Torch). Students and other members of the 'Flambeau centrafricain' have also said they will step up their action against the government's "impotence".

In a press release the 'Flambeau centrafricain' said it had regrouped the young people of CAR who were "engaged in a patriotic struggle for social justice and real change". Further, "this must not dampen the ardour of the young people to get rid of a regime which is rotten, contemptuous and detested by all," the statement added. "The 'Flambeau centrafricain' calls on all young people...to strongly mobilise again and await the next order which will not be long in coming." 

Meanwhile, a government statement said the authorities had seized a considerable consignment of weapons in various quarters of Bangui, comprising pistols, assault rifles, grenades and rocket launchers. The circulation of illegal arms gives further cause for concern particularly at this time of heightened tension in the country, analysts warned.

Radio France Internationale said it was surprising that the strike protest had also affected strongholds of President Ange-Felix Patasse, such as the Sara and Moustapha districts, which usually do not respond to trade unions or opposition movements. The radio also mooted the fact that the disturbances may be linked to the recent death of former prime minister Jean-Luc Mandaba and his son under "suspicious circumstances".

UN worried
The UN Secretary-General yesterday stated his concern over the situation in the CAR and called for dialogue. "In view of the very difficult economic situation in the country, the Secretary-General calls on all concerned to favour dialogue and refrain from any action that might exacerbate these tensions and thus endanger peace and security in that country," a spokesman for Mr. Anan said.

Through his spokesman, the Secretary-General urged the Central African Republic's international partners to "do their utmost to speed up the financial assistance they had pledged during last May's special donor meeting to help the country manage this difficult transition peacefully."

The United Nations peacekeeping operation in the Central African Republic was phased out in February this year, after, among other things, playing a supportive role in the country's September 1999 Presidential elections. Prior to establishment of the mission, an inter-African force had monitored agreements reached after the country's 1996 crisis, which had resulted from widespread discontent over social and economic problems, including the issue of salary arrears, and during which elements of the armed forces mutinied.

Labour Code
The monthly minimum wage in the Central African Republic is equivalent to about US$ 12 (7,800 CFA francs) for agricultural workers but to about US$ 28 (18,000 CFA francs) for office workers. The minimum wage does not enable a worker and family to afford the basic necessities and is not adequate to maintain a decent standard of living. Most labour is however performed outside the wage and social security system, especially by farmers in the large subsistence agricultural sector. 

The national Labour Code also includes general laws on health and safety standards in the workplace, but the Ministry of Labor and Civil Service neither precisely defines nor actively enforces them, a matter about which the International Labor Organization has expressed concern to the Government for many years. Government claims it does not have sufficient funding to follow international labour rights and other human rights. 

Sources: Based on UN and US sources

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