By UNOCA-PIO
The 23rd report of the UN Secretary-General on the situation in Central Africa and the activities of UNOCA was presented to the Security Council on December 8, 2022 by Mr. Abdou Abarry, Special Representative for Central Africa. This session was chaired by Ms. Ruchira Kamboj, Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations, President of the Security Council for the month of December 2022.
In his intervention, Mr. Abarry highlighted the political and security challenges facing the sub-region, including the effects of climate change, maritime piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, the activities of armed and terrorist groups, the conflicts linked to transhumance, etc. Other sources of great concern were also mentioned, in particular the persistence of violence in the North-West and South-West regions of Cameroon as well as the fragility of the transition in Chad and the attempt to destabilize institutions which has took place in São Tomé and PrÃncipe in November.
Issues relating to human rights, governance and electoral processes were also highlighted. On the last point, Mr. Abarry stressed the need to draw lessons from recent elections to better prepare for future events. “The year 2023 will be marked by important political processes in some Central African countries. Bearing in mind that recent elections in these countries have been marked by violence, international accompaniment to national and regional efforts may be needed to ensure peaceful electoral processes,” he noted.
He reiterated "UNOCA's commitment, within the framework of its mandate, to fully play its role in this regard, working in coordination with other relevant United Nations entities and in support of States and regional organizations such as the ECCAS".