Central African Republic Prime Minister Firmin Ngrebada and cabinet resign

Firmin Ngrebada, prime minister of the Central African Republic, has resigned along with the entire cabinet, in the latest sign of fragility within the government.

Critics had been calling for Ngrebada’s ouster since March, when President Faustin Touadera was sworn in for another 5-year term.

Ngrebada said on Twitter he handed over his and the government’s resignation to the president, but a presidential spokesman told the AFP news agency the prime minister could be tapped to lead a refreshed administration.

“We will know within a few hours if the president keeps the prime minister on,” Albert Yaloke Mokpeme said.

Translation: I have just handed over my resignation and that of the government to His Excellency the President of the Republic Faustin Archange Touadera

The prime minister had been appointed to the job as part of a 2019 peace deal in Khartoum that now appears on the verge of collapse.

Central African Republic has seen waves of inter-communal conflict since 2013. The violence erupted again last year after the constitutional court rejected former President Francois Bozize’s presidential bid.

Touadera was eventually re-elected on a turnout of fewer than one in three voters. Legislative elections have since left Touadera’s United Hearts Movement short of a parliamentary majority, but observers say that in key votes he can count on the backing of large numbers of independent MPs, many formerly associated with the party.

Critics had been calling for Ngrebada’s departure since March, when Touadera was sworn in for another 5-year term. In Bangui, some felt Ngrebada had done the best he could given the growing presence of armed groups in vital sectors of the country’s economy, while others, felt his time as prime minister had failed to bring the much-needed change after years of conflict.

Source: AP and News Agencies