Brussels, 7 February 2014/ ACP: Secretary General H.E Alhaji Muhammad Mumuni conveyed his wholehearted support for the newly elected interim President of the Central African Republic, H.E Mrs. Catherine Samba-Panza.

President Samba-Panza – a former mayor of Bangui – is the first ever female to lead the country, and the third woman in Africa to hold such a post.

She was voted in by the transitional government to lead the CAR to elections by January 2015.

In a letter to the President on behalf of the ACP Group, the Secretary General hailed the appointment as “a positive sign for the restoration of peace, security, public order and democracy”.

“The ACP Group knows that your qualities as a stateswoman will help you meet the challenges that await you,” he stated, underlining the full support of the Group in her mission.

The resource-rich Central African Republic faces ongoing sectarian conflict, which has led to thousands of deaths and hundreds of thousands displaced from their homes since violence erupted after the March 2013 coup. The ACP Parliamentary Assembly recently condemned the resurgence of violence, including atrocities and human rights violations committed against civilians by armed groups.

– ACP Press