A major step has been taken in the Central African Republic toward better protection of civilians and a return to lasting peace with the inauguration of the first mixed border post in Bembéré, between the northwest part of the country and Chad.
The border post, built and equipped by the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), houses several state services under one roof, including the gendarmerie, the police, customs, and officials for water, forests and livestock.
It represents the first concrete achievement of the national policy for the management of the Central African borders and its 10-year action plan supported by MINUSCA. It meets the objectives of extending and gradually restoring the authority of the state throughout the Central African territory, including along its six borders.
The 1,556-kilometer CAR-Chad border stretches from Cameroon to Sudan. For more than 20 years, thousands of CAR refugees have crossed the border, fleeing the conflict in their home country.
In a speech during a handover ceremony, Valentine Rugwabiza, the head of MINUSCA, stressed that the mixed border post “is part of the implementation of the peace agreement, one of the pillars of which is the securing of border areas, which must move from areas of insecurity to areas of trade and prosperity for the benefit of all.”
MINUSCA will continue its advocacy in support of the implementation of the National Policy for the Management of Border Areas so that mixed border posts can be established in other areas of the country.