Central African Republic. Understanding the Séléka Insurrection of March 24 2013
Issue 5, October 2013 Central African Republic. Understanding the Séléka Insurrection of March 24 2013 Henry Kam KAH Abstract. The Séléka insurrection of March 24, 2003 in the Central African Republic (CAR) did not surprise observers of the chequered history of this country. Since political independence from France in August 1960, the CAR has been unstable for most of its history. The formation of armed groups, the proliferation of small arms and light weapons and the tussle for leadership among the elite and other forces have rendered the country ungovernable. This paper examines the rationale behind the Séléka insurrection of 2013 against a background of unfulfilled promises and tussle for the leadership of a country that is notorious for internal dissension. This union of different armed groups with diverse agendas seems not to be able to hold this country together, as instability continues in the country. Keywords: Africa, Central African Republic, Séléka, Insurrection, Political Instability. The African continent is known to be a con- tinent of armed insurgency, civil unrest, and instability. Some of the countries that have witnessed internecine conflicts of one kind or another include Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Chad, Sudan, Congo, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia, Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the CAR (Joseph, 2012, p. 23-25; Cilliers and Schünemann, 2013, p. Henry KAM KAH, PhD, 9-10). In the Sub-Saharan African region, University of Buea, military power between states and insur- Cameroon gency appears to be shifting often in favour of the latter. This has more or less compelled Conflict Studies Quarterly African states to deploy forces beyond their Issue 5, October 2013, pp.
[Show full text]