UN official says Central Africa making progress but warns of rights restrictions

"Since our last briefing, the sub-region has passed important milestones. These included the holding of critical elections and progress in institutional reforms," Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee, the UN assistant secretary-general for Africa in the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations, told the UN Security Council.

She said the region's main sub-regional organization, the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), has shown "encouraging signs of its deep commitment to sustaining peace in the sub-region."

Yet Pobee warned that these gains have taken place against "a troubling backdrop," including deepening security and humanitarian crises, growing socioeconomic pressures, and increasing restrictions on rights.

"There is a worrying trend of increasing restrictions on civil and political rights in several parts of Central Africa," she said.

"If not reversed, these could contribute to a narrowing civic space, affecting long-term stability and leading to conflict."

Pobee highlighted the recent 61st session of the UN Standing Advisory Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa (UNSAC) in Burundi, calling it an important platform for regional dialogue and consultation.

She welcomed the adoption of declarations on strengthening conflict prevention mechanisms and protecting internally displaced persons.

Lake Chad region, Sudan

Noting that security remains a major concern across parts of the region, she identified eastern Chad and the Lake Chad region as "two fulcrums of instability."

With the conflict in Sudan now in its fourth year, Pobee said its impact on neighboring Chad has been significant.

"The influx of over 900,000 Sudanese refugees and 300,000 Chadian returnees, including over 800,000 children, since April 2023 has placed a significant strain on national resources," she said.

Pobee also said the Multinational Joint Task Force remains "an essential cross-regional mechanism" in efforts to combat violent extremist threats in the Lake Chad Basin.

She further raised concerns about the ongoing crisis in Cameroon's North-West and South-West regions, saying civilians continue to suffer from violence carried out by armed separatist groups.

Pobee also expressed concern over the Ebola outbreak in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and warned of the risk of its spread across the sub-region. She stressed that access and freedom of movement for healthcare and humanitarian workers, along with stronger regional coordination and international support, are critical to containing the outbreak.

The UN Regional Office for Central Africa "remains deeply committed to working with all regional actors towards conflict prevention, mediation, and peace consolidation," she added.