CEMAC: Development of a sub-regional strategy against crime – CRTV

The 24th forum of ministers responsible for security issues in Central Africa concluded in Yaounde and adopted a series of recommendations.

The recommendations emerged after four days of discussions in technical subcommittees tasked with responding to transnational crime in Central Africa.

The various stakeholders agreed to make a joint effort against transnational crime. In this regard, the Minister of State, Secretary General of the Republic Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh, urged the CEMAC security services to improve the exchange of information. “It is now up to the States concerned, in a spirit of solidarity, to work actively towards the implementation of the resolutions adopted today,” he stated in his closing speech.

The ministers responsible for security in Central Africa have formulated numerous resolutions, including the adoption of a sub-regional strategy to combat crime, the provision of copies of Article 3 of the Common Immigration Policy Regulation and Border Protection, signed on 1 April 2019, at all border posts. According to this article, any citizen with up-to-date identification documents has the right to move or reside freely in another CEMAC member country for a period of up to three months.

The recommendations aim to address insecurity in all its forms, including improving the control and monitoring of the unloading of internationally controlled drugs in coastal areas, in line with the 1971 Convention, inviting Central African countries to register in Interpol’s drug analysis database, systematically transmitting statistics on drug seizures to Interpol’s regional office for Central Africa and the Permanent Secretariat of the Committee of Chiefs of Police for Central Africa, encouraging Member States to promote the expansion of the I-CEMAC system in the fight against drugs, and organising simultaneous police operations to combat the circulation of counterfeit medicines and vehicle theft.

The emphasis is on the implementation of these resolutions and recommendations within the CEMAC area. The Permanent Secretariat of the Committee of Chiefs of Police of Central Africa, which opened in Yaoundé on 20 September, will play a crucial role in achieving these objectives.

In 2025, the Central African Republic will host the 5th session of the Council of Central African Police Chiefs (CCPAC) and the 25th Forum of Ministers Responsible for Security Affairs.

In the meantime, the representative for National Security, Martin Mbarga Nguele, will chair the CCPAC for a one-year term, succeeding General Serge Hervé Ngoma of Gabon.

Che Tembuck

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