Valentine Rugwabiza, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and head of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), initiated a nationwide assessment tour in Paoua, within the Yadé region, to review the impact of the Mission’s restructured operational posture.
Emphasizing that the territorial reorganisation launched in late 2025 represents an strategic adaptation rather than a force drawdown, UN leadership highlighted the necessity of aligning peacekeeping resources with evolving local realities, noting that security dynamics in 2026 differ substantially from those present at the Mission’s inception in 2014. As stabilized inland regions allow MINUSCA to shift focus toward high-risk border zones and transhumance corridors, the strategic repositioning in Paoua aims to channel conflict-prevention assets directly to areas requiring heightened vigilance.
Accompanied by representatives from the Ministry of Territorial Administration, MINUSCA Force Commander Lieutenant General Humphrey Nyone, UN Police Commissioner Fang Li, and officials from UNICEF and the World Food Programme, the delegation engaged with local authorities and civil society groups to identify immediate community priorities. Discussions in Paoua—the operational seat of MINUSCA’s Yadé regional headquarters—focused on reinforcing state authority through enhanced municipal capacity, expanding access to public services, and mitigating pastoral conflict along migration routes. Local stakeholders outlined key peacebuilding requirements, including infrastructure rehabilitation, youth employment, women’s empowerment, the safe return of internally displaced populations, and the strengthening of localized mediation frameworks, cementing Paoua’s pivotal role in MINUSCA’s refined regional strategy.
TE/Sf/lb/abj/APA