The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in the Central African Republic (CAR), popularly known by its French acronym MINUSCA, has accused a Central African member of parliament of “peddling lies” against the UN mission.
The parliamentarian for Obo 1 constituency, Hon. Ernest Mizedio, had accused Moroccan members of MINUSCA of conniving with the combatants of Unite pour la Paix en Centrafrique (UPC) rebel movement in Upper Mbomou region.
Following the accusation and counter accusation, 25 CAR parliamentarians on Wednesday, November 4, issued a communiqué demanding the Chief of the MINUSCA, Mankeur Ndiaye, who is the Representative of the UN Secretary-General in the country, to apologise to Mizedio for the accusation against him.
In the five-page document addressed to the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, the CAR Government and the guarantors and facilitators of the Political Accord for Peace and Reconciliation in CAR (PAPR-CAR), the parliamentarians described the MINUSCA allegation against Mizedio which was published on October 20, 2020, as a “hindrance to a parliamentarian in the exercise of his functions”.
They drew the attention of the secretary-general to “the excesses of his collaborators in the Central African Republic”.
They also called on the CAR Government and the UN mission to do all in their powers to dismantle the UPC barriers in Upper Mbomou in order to guarantee the free movement of persons and goods.
“With what we are seeing, there is reason for disquiet. How can one campaign when the registration operations are already mired in a lot of problems, notably insecurity due to the irruption of armed groups?” one parliamentarian angrily asked in reference to the December 27, 2020 elections in CAR.
Following the misunderstanding between the UN mission and the parliamentarians, youths of Obo in the Upper Mbomou last week indicated their intention to demonstrate against “the controversial declarations” made by Mizedio against the Moroccan contingent with the MINUSCA.
However, a segment of the local opinion holds that the youths threatening to demonstrate against the parliamentarian of their constituency are being manipulated by the head of the MINUSCA bureau who has been accused by Mizedio of connivance with UPC rebel combatants.
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