RIVAL Muslim and Christian militias from the Central African Republic (CAR) signed a ceasefire this week, which they said would protect civilians after 16-months of civil war. But there are several reasons to be sceptical about its capacity to bring an end to fighting that has killed thousands of people and displaced about a million more.
Ceasefires are hard to implement at the best of times, and their track record in Africa is not encouraging. South Sudan provides a good example of how quickly they can fall apart. Leaders there have signed two agreements this year to bring an end to a political conflict that has divided the country along ethnic fault-lines since December 2013. Both were breached with depressing rapidity.
The political situation in CAR will make implementing a ceasefire equally difficult. Its conflict started when mainly Muslim Seleka rebels staged a coup in March last year, bringing Michel Djotodia to power. Abuses committed under his rule prompted the creation of "anti-balaka" Christian militia, sparking a cycle of brutal ethnic violence. Djotodia resigned in...Continue reading
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