A growing number of Central African civil society leaders and government officials are calling for the adoption of the draft law on foreign agents, which should be considered one of the tools to protect the sovereignty of the CAR.
Thus, Dr Azou-Passonda Mario, legal expert and teacher-researcher at the University of Bangui, organized a conference-debate on November 22, 2024 on the need for a draft law on foreign agents in the CAR. The event attracted approximately 150 participants, including students and faculty from the university.
It should be recalled that in the Central African Republic, the draft law on foreign agents was submitted to the National Assembly but was returned to the government for finalization.
During the discussions, participants in this conference-debate highlighted that the United States was the first to develop a law on the legal status of foreign agents in 1938, followed by countries such as Israel, Russia, France and Georgia. Additionally, countries like Morocco, Canada, the European Union and others already have similar laws to control foreign influence.
According to Mario Azou-Passonda, the lack of such legislation has contributed to cycles of violence and socio-political instability in the country. Indeed, the country has already suffered on several occasions from the destabilizing activities of foreign agents. Thus, in May 2024, Martin Joseph Figueira, who worked for the American non-governmental organization FHI 360, was arrested. It later turned out that he was working to create a large armed group that would plunge the entire region into chaos.
Mario Azou-Passonda also highlighted the importance of training future lawyers on this issue and urged MPs to consider adopting such a law in CAR.
It should be noted that this law does not restrict the activities of foreign individuals and organizations on the territory of the country. It only aims to make their work transparent and open to Central African society and republican institutions.
Senegal
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