Central African Republic President Faustin Archange Touadera on Thursday called on international partners to take a tougher line on armed groups who were violating the terms of a peace agreement.

CAR's government signed a deal with 14 rebel militias a year ago, but more than two-thirds of the former French colony remains under the control of armed groups who often fight over territory and its rich mineral resources.

The agreement, signed in the Sudanese capital Khartoum, has eased fighting but not ended a conflict that has ravaged the nation since 2013.

"One year later, the time for observing has ended. It is time for firmness so that the agreement is respected," Touadera said.

The president called on the African Union and the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) economic bloc to clarify possible sanctions on rebel groups who break the accord.

Article 35 of the peace agreement allows for sanctions against those who violate the deal but details on the measures have yet to be defined.

Amnesty International on Wednesday warned various armed groups were still carrying out abuses of civilians, including killings and sexual violence, despite the peace deal.

Touadera, who is expected to run for re-election in December, told reporters the deal was still making progress despite opposition criticism, in a country emerging from three civil wars in less than two decades.

A UN mission -- known by the acronym MINUSCA -- has almost 12,000 troops and 2,080 police in CAR in order to protect civilians and foster stability.

One of the world's poorest and most unstable nations, CAR has suffered several violent crises since 2003 when former president Francois Bozize seized power in a coup.

The country spiralled into bloodshed after Bozize was overthrown in 2013, with rival militias battling for control and fighting forcing nearly a quarter of the country's 4.5 million people to flee their homes.

Surviving WWII Congo troops honoured for colonial-era battles
Kinshasa (AFP) Feb 6, 2020 - Albert Kunyuku Ngoma was a young Congolese corporal in the colonial Belgian army when he was forced to battle in WWII as far away as Myanmar.

Now 97, Ngoma is one of only two surviving former members of the colonial "Public Force" military living in the DR Congo capital Kinshasa, who are honoured in a new documentary entitled "The Shadow of the Forgotten!".

Recalling the battles of six decades ago, Ngoma described fighting side by side with Belgium troops against the Japanese in Myanmar, which was then called Burma.

"In the trenches in Burma, we saw Belgian officers fall to enemy bullets," Ngoma said. "It was a real shock for us."

The Public Force was formed as a military unit when Belgium's King Leopold II controlled the colony. Thousands of Congolese were drafted as part of the colonial armed forces, and fought during WWII in east Africa, the Middle East and Asia.

Dressed in their worn-out former uniforms, Ngoma and his former brother-in-arms Daniel Miuki, 94, were praised as "living monuments" of Congolese history at a recent showing of the documentary by academic Jose Adolphe Voto.

In the film, the pair were shown proudly wearing their campaign medals on their chests as they recalled details of their postings from Leopoldville, as Kinshasa was once known, to the Middle East and to Burma, a former British colony invaded by the Japanese during the war.

Caps on their heads and canes in hand, two men leafed together through a yellowed photo album from Miuki's home showing pictures dating from 1940-1945.

American troops were not great shots, they recalled, but they praised the combat skills of the Japanese, Chinese and Korean troops on the ground.

-'Tossed aside like towels'-

Both remember the racial segregation they had to face even as they fought shoulder to shoulder with the Belgians.

"We were like slaves, because it was Belgium that brought us into this war. We could not say anything," Ngoma said.

"When the bombs began to fall, white and black would die the same way," said Miuki, a former infantry nurse.

As Belgium's premier visited the DR Congo this week, Miuki criticised what he called the "ungrateful" attitude of the former colonial ruler towards its Congolese ex-soldiers, saying they were tossed aside "like dirty towels".

"France still takes care of Second World War veterans from its former colonies, and their heirs," Ngoma said.

Congolese soldiers never received any compensation from the countries for whom they fought in 1940-45, according to a complaint filed in 2018 in the DR Congo by seven children of ex-combatants from the Public Force.

They accuse the former colonial power as well as France, Britain and the United States of neglecting their parents and claimed more than $7 million (6.3 million euros), according to the Belgian Ministry of Defense.

The case was in court late last year, but no judgment has been made.

"I wanted to pay tribute to those who gave their all, not only for the Congo but in the World War," said Voto, the documentary director.

"I wanted them to be rewarded morally. When I spoke with them, I was disappointed to learn that they have never been recognised by Belgium."

Related Links
Africa News - Resources, Health, Food

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Kenya leader warns against US, China rivalry in Africa
Washington (AFP) Feb 5, 2020
Kenya's president said Wednesday that African nations should be free to cooperate with both the United States and China, warning that foreign powers were exacerbating the continent's divisions. President Uhuru Kenyatta was speaking on a visit to Washington, where speculation has built that the United States will seek to negotiate a free-trade agreement with Kenya, in what would be a first with an African nation. On the eve of his talks with President Donald Trump, Kenyatta said he was "very conc ... read more