A rebel coalition in the Central African Republic (CAR) has agreed to observe a unilateral ceasefire in the run-up to Sunday’s elections, reported Africa News.
The Coalition of Patriots for Change (CPC), which began an offensive against the government last week, released an official statement on Thursday in which it said that a “72-hour unilateral ceasefire … will be observed across the country by all patriots’ fighting troops”.
In the statement, the rebel coalition also called the government to observe a ceasefire over the same period and urged President Faustin-Archange Touadera, who is seeking a second term, to suspend the elections.
The CPC has accused President Touadera of trying to fix the December 27 election. Tension aroused after the top court rejected former president François Bozize’s candidacy for the election. The government has accused Bozize of planning and plotting a coup with several militia groups. Bozize and his party have denied organizing any rebel attack.
The opposition alliance claims that the ongoing violence was preventing presidential and parliamentary candidates from campaigning in the country and had led to the destruction of electoral material and threats in almost all provincial centers. It wants Sunday’s poll to be canceled until peace and security gets restored in the country. But the CAR government is adamant about conducting the presidential and legislative elections as previously planned.
On Wednesday, the United Nations and human rights activists had warned against pre-election violence, with the former calling it a serious threat to the security of civilians and their right to vote.
The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said there have been reports of attacks on security forces, electoral candidates, and election officials.
Human Rights Watch said at least five civilians were killed in the clashes and thousands had fled CAR so far.
