4 June 2014
On 2 June, Human Rights Watch (HRW) stated that African Union peacekeepers from the Republic of Congo who are stationed in the Central African Republic have been accused of committing human rights abuses, including torture, killings and detentions. The allegations were made by witnesses, local officials and residents who were interviewed during an investigation by HRW. (more…)
Source: Reuters | African Union peacekeepers accused of abuses in Central African Republic: HRW
31 October 2013
On 22 October, representatives of six countries located in the Congo Bassin, with timber industry representatives and civil society adopted the “Brazzaville Declaration” in which they agreed to jointly combat illegal timber trade in the Congo Basin.
The six states that adopted the Declaration are the Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Côte d’Ivoire and Gabon.
The Congo Basin, covering an area of 300 million hectares, harbours the world’s second largest rainforest after Amazonia. As a key resource for stabilizing the global climate, however, it is also a major supplier of illegal timber. The Brazzaville Declaration aims to implement measures that improve timber tracking, transparency and forest governance.
Source: UN News Centre | African countries consent to tackle illegal timber trade in Congo Basin – UN agency