The African Union Commissioner for Peace and Security, Ambassador Smaïl Chergui; the President of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), Ambassador Gilberto Da Piedade Veríssimo; the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix; and the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, take note of the provisional results of the first round of the presidential elections on 27 December as declared by the National Elections Authority (ANE) on 4 January 2021. They emphasise that it will be for the Constitutional Court of the Central African Republic to declare the final results and for all political actors to respect the Court’s decisions.

The senior officials from the African Union, the ECCAS, the United Nations and the European Union also take note of the preliminary reports of the national and international election observation missions. They note that the Central African citizens demonstrated their determination to exercise their right to vote, despite the many obstacles. They reiterate their call for all political actors to settle any electoral disputes peacefully and in accordance with the laws and the constitution of the Central African Republic. They call on the Central African government and the whole political class to favour an inclusive, open, constructive and credible political dialogue in order to promote national stability.

The senior officials from the African Union, the ECCAS, the United Nations and the European Union strongly condemn the speeches and messages spreading disinformation, hatred and incitement to violence, including against international personnel, and the violence perpetrated by certain armed groups with the aim of undermining the electoral process. In this regard, the senior officials of the partner organisations invite the Central African authorities to open investigations to bring to justice the perpetrators of and masterminds behind such violence which has sadly claimed the lives of civilians, humanitarian workers, members of the national defence and security forces, and UN peacekeepers. They strongly condemn the attacks on MINUSCA.

The senior officials from the African Union, the ECCAS, the United Nations and the European Union also condemn the breaches by certain armed groups of their commitments under the Political Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation in the Central African Republic, and urge all signatory parties to fully honour their commitments, in particular the cessation of hostilities. They invite them to relaunch the peace process, focusing in particular on consultation, strict compliance with commitments and accountability, as impunity is not a viable option.

The senior officials of the African Union, the ECCAS, the United Nations and the European Union reaffirm their continued solidarity with and support for the Central African people in their efforts to consolidate peace and democracy, as well as towards stabilisation, reconciliation and sustainable development, in close cooperation with the other partners of the Central African Republic.