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Responses to student questions from peacekeepers in the field:
Mr. Ismael Diallo, MINURCA, Central African Republic
Click here for more information on the MINURCA mission.
QFrom River Valley High School, in Marion Ohio, USA I'm a freshman from Marion and I was wondering what emergency/political
situation requires your presence in Central Africa?
AThe Central African Republic has faced a crisis since 1996 when many units in the country's army rebelled. For many months, salaries had not been paid to soldiers, teachers and many other government workers. The country has also suffered from political conflict and instability, and severe economic problems. The whole region of central Africa has seen many conflicts and much instability in recent years. An agreement among different parties in the country was reached at the end of 1996 and set out steps the country should take to improve the situation. But the Central Africans also needed help to carry out the agreement, which included steps to disarm former mutineers militias and others, and to improve democracy, rule of law, human rights and other measures to bring about stability and national reconciliation. A peacekeeping force made up of soldiers from several African countries was created in 1997, with logistical support from France, to help stabilize the situation and help the Government, political parties and others put the agreement into effect. In January 1998, the President of the Central African Republic requested that the United Nations establish a peacekeeping operation in the country, to continue when the African peacekeeping force and logistical support from France ended. In April 1998 MINURCA was established to help maintain security in the capital city, Bangui, and its immediate vicinity, to supervise the collection and disposal of weapons. MINURCA is also providing police training and is assisting with preparations for elections.
QHello, my name is Sarah Landis, and I have a few questions to ask you. What is your responsibility in your country as a peacekeeper?
AA UN peacekeeper serves the United Nations in a specific mission area. His or her responsibilities are determined by the "mandate"--a definition of the tasks and goals of the mission-- formulated by the Security Council. The responsibilities of a UN military peacekeeper are primarily to maintain peace through patrols and observations. A military peacekeeper is still a soldier in his or her own country's service, and is responsible to his or her own national command, but serves under the control of the UN force commander--a senior military officer from one of the countries providing personnel for the UN mission. Many new UN peacekeeping operations also include refugee assistance,
human rights monitoring, election supervision and the training of police
forces. For example, MINURCA is helping to organize and monitor elections
in the Central African Republic as another step towards political stability.
QMonsieur Diallo, nous sommes très contents de pouvoir correspondre avec vous. Voici quelques questions: a. Vous êtes-vous déjà trouvé dans des situations
dangereuses?
Avec nos remerciements. Les élèves de la classe de CM2/4. Lycee Francais Los Angeles, CA
Aa. Non, personellement, je ne me suis jamais retrouvé dans des situations dangereuses. Toutefois, le personnel des missions du maintien de la paix des Nations Unies doivent souvent travailler dans les régions où ils font face aux dangers tels que les mines antipersonnels, le conflit armé qui reprend, ou le banditisme. b. La population se sent protégée par la présence
des
c. Non, je ne pensais pas quand j'avais votre âge que j'aurais une telle mission.
QDear Sir: a. With the bombings that occurred in Africa, although not directly
affecting Central Africa, were there any effects felt where you are
as a result?
Thank you very much for taking time out of your day to answer not only
my questions, but all those questions presented to you.
Aa. The terrorist bombings in Nairobi and Arusha did not have any particular effect on the Central African Republic or our work here. b. In 'Centreafrique', as we often call it here, the work
c. Fortunately, the turmoil didn't occur during my service in Haiti, which lasted from October 1990 to January 1991, when the UN assisted with Haiti's elections.
QHello, we are Kvinta A from Gymnasium Turnov (Czech republic). We have some questions: a. Why did you make a decision to work for the UN? Do you think
that your job
Thank you very much for your answers.
Aa. The world is one global village and is increasingly becoming so through rapid advances in communication technology. For example, if it was not for the recently introduced World Wide Web and electronic mail, we could not exchange questions and answers as we are doing now. This also means that massacres and genocide, ethnic violence, or even what seem to be very local crises in the most remote regions of the world can be known world-wide almost immediately. Global communication promotes knowledge about cultures, countries and peoples that we did not know before. But it can also be used as propaganda to incite hate and violence, as the radio station "Milles Collines" ["A Thousand Hills"] did in openly inciting massacres and genocide in Rwanda in 1994. My job as Spokesman and Information Officer for MINURCA is therefore important. Information can be an invaluable tool to ease tensions down and call for peace, not violence. Rumours and ignorance can often increase people's fears and lead to violence--or permit those who are against peace to manipulate people. My job is to help give people the information they need to work together and help their country through a difficult time, without violence. b. My day is scheduled as such: military briefings, senior staff meetings, contact with national and international press, political leaders, students and diplomatic corps; and a daily interview with Radio MINURCA. c. There are many demanding aspects of working in a UN peacekeeping mission. Each of us is challenged by different problems. For some people, it is very demanding to work in a team where people come from many different countries. For others, they find the physical conditions we work in very demanding--adjusting to a new environment and climate, different customs. Many of us find it very demanding, both physically and emotionally, to work long hours, often dealing with disagreements and tensions between different groups involved in a conflict. The stress is especially great on some people because they miss their families. Personally, I am comfortable in my work. I adjust well to new places and have served in several missions, so no part of my work here is especially demanding. d. To build peace in Africa, it is of utmost importance to lift the continent out of poverty. Africa needs international investment in development and technology. Prosperity usually promotes peace. Hunger and competition between people over scarce resources starts conflicts that can lead to wars and refugee movements. Also, the many tribal groups on the continent need to see each others as good neighbours and friends, and not as competitors. e. My family lives in Burkina Faso and the United States. MINURCA is a designated non-familiy mission, so I could not bring them there to live with me together. f. After the mutinees came to an end, the Central African Republic is now a country on the road to reconciliation, albeit with many question marks. However, there is no open fighting - it's not a war zone. Right now, MINURCA is helping Central Africans organize and monitor democratic legislative elections as a step toward restoring people's confidence in the democratic process and their elected leaders.
QHello my name is Jessica Snyder. I attend River Valley High School. I would like to know some things about the country where the MINURCA mission is located: a. What is your government like?
Please write back very soon. Jessica Snyder
Aa. The government of Central African Republic is not "my" government--I am from Burkina Faso. The Government of the Central African Republic has a president, a prime minister and a parliament and a national assembly. Elections are about to be held for members of the national assembly with the assistance of MINURCA. b. The school system is modeled after the French school
system, and French is the official language of education. Students
in public schools have suffered in recent years, as teachers have not been
paid. Some students go to schools run by the church.
Note: All following questions came from students in Finland. QIs it quite safe to come to RCA, is it just like being in Helsinki, because our teacher is perhaps coming there to a conference?
AThere is no war going on in the Central African Republic and different groups in the country are seeking to work together better. It may not be like Helsinki but, in general, it is safe. That doesn't mean that there is no danger of crime or violence. The UN's presence here was requested because there was a fear of renewed violence and instability, and there are--as in many places around the world, including Helsinki, I suppose--incidents of banditry and violence. One of our tasks is to help improve the training of the national police and the "gendarmerie" in the country to help maintain law and order, and improve security for the whole population.
QHow does the climate affect your work? (from Janette Kovanen, Eveliina Lauhio, Ilona Makinen and Tina Hyyppa)
AThe climate is good, there is 6 months of rain but one should be careful with malaria.
QWhat was your assignment as the Special Envoy of the President of Burkina Faso?
A.As Special Envoy of the president of Burkina Faso, my assignment was to maintain and improve political relations between Burkina Faso and other countries like Liberia and Sierra Leone, and to track evolving crises.
QWhat kind of military equipment do you have?
AAs a civilian, I don't have any military equipment. Soldiers serving in MINURCA are lightly armed for self defence, and have helmets, bulletproof vests and other such military equipment.
QWhat do you think is the ABC of peace ? (From Mikko Frisk, Tommi Rantanen, Ville Heikkinen)
AThe ABCs of peace are, I think: Tolerance; Respect for human rights of all people; Justice and Equal Opportunity for progress for every individual, ethnic group, religion, race and nation.
QWhat kind of agreement was the Bangui agreement? What is the situation now? (from Anna, Antti, Ilona, Eerik)
AThe Bangui agreement was a very long and complex agreement covering such issues as: the establishment of a government of national unity; agreement on a new voting timetable and revision of the electoral code; an amnesty for offenses committed during the mutiny, the restructuring of the Central African armed forces and holding general elections. Progress has been made on many of these points. A joint Government/MINURCA committee has been set up to assist the programme of demobilization and the restructuring of the Central African forces; the general election is to take place for 22 November and 13 December 1998 with MINURCA's help.
QHas anybody tried to kill you? (from Maju, Harri, Joni, Sampsa)
AFortunately, nobody ever tried to kill me. |