ACCORD hosted the Minister of Communication and Reconciliation from the Central African Republic (CAR), H.E. Madam Antoinette Montaigne Moussa, from 30th May – 2nd June, in Durban, South Africa. The visit was intended to explore possible collaborative activities and partnership between the Ministry and ACCORD in the areas of reconciliation and nation-building in CAR.
The visit started with meetings at the ACCORD Offices in Durban, over two days where discussions were held on the current plans and programmes of action by the Ministry, as well as exchanging with representatives from different faiths who shared their experiences on working on issues of reconciliation.
The Minister also held a briefing with members of the diplomatic community in Pretoria, where she provided an update on the situation in CAR as well as outlining the Ministries’ emergency plan of action on reconciliation. The CAR government has developed this emergency plan of action in an attempt to address the imminent needs for dialogue and confidence building among all actors in order to mitigate the violence and quick start long-term reconciliatory initiatives. The discussions provided the audience with an opportunity to better understand the priorities of the CAR government on its road towards stability and development. The international community present at the event was also able to engage with the Minister on issues relating to key areas for reconciliation and offer their perspectives on the situation and on potential path of collaboration.
As a civil society organisation within the field of conflict management, ACCORD hosted the Minister with the belief that both state and non-state actors within the continent must make commitments towards the resolution of the conflict in CAR and the reestablishment of peace and security.
The discussions during the Minister’s visit resulted in the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding that establishes areas of collaboration between ACCORD and the Ministry in advancing the reconciliation agenda in CAR.
