Wednesday 15 February 2012

To build capacity or control the armed forces?

For those of you who understand French have a look at this interview with president Bozizé. Among other things he laments about the fact that the CAR government didn't receive a single penny in budget support last year. The lack of funding has been one of the main obstacles to the implementation of SSR but it is closely connected to the fact that the government has prioritised capacity building of the FACA and police over democratic control of the armed forces, which does not converge with the donor's priorities. In my report on Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in Central Africa I also mention how the governments in the region (i.e. Uganda, CAR, DRC and South Sudan) try to use the presence of the LRA as a pretext to build up their armies. There is always a balance between capacity building and strengthening democratic control, but support and training of the militaries without  the latter will only contribute to further militarisation of those societies.

I don't think that is what the population needs...

1 comment:

  1. Why not your country send Engineers to build road and help the Central African Republic or just high level Professors to educate the people in Central African Republic for sustainaible developpment ?

    Always people like you, a student for internship in the Central African Republic ?

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