Ministering to the Central African Republic

IDPs seeking shelter around the airport and at Catholic missions (source: MSF)

In English the word Minister is used for both Ministers of State and for someone ministering a church (like a Bishop or a pastor or deacon). The word minister actually means "one who tends to the needs of others". 

According to the framework of Defourney and Pestoff, on top of providing for security and protection, an important role of the state is redistribution. For some time now people see this mechanism mainly working for the resourceful rather than the resource-poor. Consequently there is a reluctancy to spend funds abroad as people no longer trust their governments for having the right priorities. This seriously undermines the redistribution mandate of the Minsiters of Development Cooperation, often connected to their diplomatic and economic missions. It may be questioned whether a connection to the trade agenda is very helpful in this regard. 

Central African Republic
In the meantime the other type of ministers, bishops and pastors, with the support of NGOs and FBOs are providing basic protection in the Central African Republic in absence of a state provider. They have been calling for international protection amidst the unprecedented violence. Will Ministers of Foreign Affairs take their collective international protection mandate (chapter 7 of the UN charter) to use in time? In a hearing in November the chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs in the US shared between the lines how the international protection mandate failed in the past both in Darfur and in the Balkan and is likely to fail again in the Central African Republic if action is not taken in time. 

War Lords instigating religious tension
The parties in the conflict itself supposedly include Janjaweed from Darfur and Lord Resistance Army. The Central African Republic still counts five million inhabitants. During the hearing an employee of an international NGO Search for Common Ground points to three drivers for the millitancy: a sense of opportunism, a sense of marginalisation and a common faith. Basically the conflict boils down to brutal war lords from neighbouring countries (Chad and Sudan) joining Seleca to instigate religious violence for personal gain. With Chad joining the security council on January 1 the US delegate probably will have some issues to resolve with his colleague from Chad. 

Today as I drove down to the Cinema to pick up my daughter, I listened to the radio and heard that the streets in Bangui are 'catching fire', people lynching each other, the UN peace keeping mission not being fielded yet. Apparently some banks are too big to fail, but some countries are too small to save. Despite Human Rights Watch even playing the card that prevention is cheaper then cure. Towards the end of the hearing two other drivers of the conflict were exposed: Gold and diamond export to London and New York as well as China, coupled with corruption exposing other forces probably having a keen interest in not resolving the situation.


For more info see also updates from OCHA at reliefweb 

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