UN Chief Warns Against Genocide in CAR

Ban Ki-moon addressed the country's Transitional Parliament in Bangui over the weekend.

The United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon has acknowledged that ethnic cleansing is taking place in the Central African Republic, CAR, expressing hope that the people will learn a lesson from the 1994 Rwandan Genocide and not allow their country to slide into another African pogrom.

Addressing the Transitional Parliament in the CAR capital, Bangui, on Saturday, April 5, 2014, the UN Chief, who was on his way to Kigali to mark the 20th anniversary of the Rwandan Genocide, said many Moslems have been chased out of the country. Radio France Internationale, RFI quoted him as admitting that the international community failed Rwanda 20 years. He warned that the same thing risked happening in CAR today if urgent action was not taken.

"There is a hole in the heart of Africa. Everyday, I wake up thinking about your trials and troubles. I have used every opportunity to call on leaders to step up their efforts. Some say this is a forgotten crisis, but I am here to help make sure that the world does not forget it," agency reports cited Ban Ki-moon as telling parliamentarians.

Ban ventured beyond the security of Bangui M'Poko International Airport, meeting Interim President Catherine Samba-Panza and even visiting Muslims at one of the last remaining operational mosques in the capital. Displaced families who have spent weeks sleeping outdoors on the grounds of the mosque came out to meet him, pleading to be moved to safety to the north of the country.

The UN Chief called for better coordination with the African Union to ensure that the planned withdrawal of 850 Chadian peacekeepers does not cause any disruptions to the MISCA peacekeeping force. Meanwhile, the UN Security Council will vote on a peacekeeping force for CAR this month. Ban Ki-moon has urged Council members to act quickly on his recommendation for a 12,000-strong peacekeeping mission.