UN Warns Central Africa Gains Are Fragile as Crises Multiply
Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee, the UN assistant secretary-general for Africa in the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations, delivered the sobering assessment directly to the UN Security Council.
"Since our last briefing, the sub-region has passed important milestones. These included the holding of critical elections and progress in institutional reforms," she told the council, before pivoting to a stark warning about the fragility of those gains.
Pobee acknowledged that the region's principal sub-regional body, the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), had shown "encouraging signs of its deep commitment to sustaining peace in the sub-region." She also welcomed declarations adopted at the recent 61st session of the UN Standing Advisory Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa (UNSAC) in Burundi, which she described as a vital forum for regional dialogue — particularly resolutions aimed at strengthening conflict prevention mechanisms and protecting internally displaced persons.
Yet she made clear that these achievements were unfolding against "a troubling backdrop" of compounding crises — security breakdowns, mounting socioeconomic pressure and an accelerating erosion of civil liberties.
"There is a worrying trend of increasing restrictions on civil and political rights in several parts of Central Africa," Pobee said. "If not reversed, these could contribute to a narrowing civic space, affecting long-term stability and leading to conflict."
Sudan's Spillover and the Lake Chad Tinderbox
Pobee identified eastern Chad and the Lake Chad Basin as "two fulcrums of instability," with Sudan's now four-year-old conflict casting a long shadow over the entire neighbourhood.
"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 — figures that underscore the scale of cross-border displacement reshaping the region's humanitarian landscape.
She described the Multinational Joint Task Force as "an essential cross-regional mechanism" in the ongoing fight against violent extremist networks operating across the Lake Chad Basin, while also raising alarm over the persistent crisis in Cameroon's North-West and South-West regions, where civilians continue to bear the brunt of violence carried out by armed separatist factions.
Ebola Threat Compounds Regional Strain
Adding to an already overburdened sub-region, Pobee sounded the alarm over the active Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, warning of the very real risk of cross-border spread. She called for unimpeded access and freedom of movement for healthcare and humanitarian personnel, alongside reinforced regional coordination and robust international support to contain the outbreak before it escalates further.
Concluding her address, Pobee reaffirmed the institution's long-term commitment to the region, stating that the UN Regional Office for Central Africa "remains deeply committed to working with all regional actors towards conflict prevention, mediation, and peace consolidation."
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