Central African Republic: Is Vote Too Soon in Diamond-Rich Central African Republic? | Bloomberg

Central African Republic’s presidential and parliamentary elections next month may deepen the crisis in the diamond-producing country as armed militias occupy large areas and as much as a fifth of the population won’t be able to vote. The capital, Bangui, is facing the worst outbreak of violence since early 2014 after the murder of a Muslim taxi driver in September triggered revenge attacks in which about 100 people were killed, according to the government. The army has disintegrated, while armed groups have partitioned the nation of 5 million people and battle to control the gold and diamond trade. “The country is in pieces,” the Brussels-based International Crisis Group said in a report. “It’s a recipe for disaster,” Tatiana Carayannis, deputy director of the Conflict Prevention and Peace Forum, which advises the United Nations, said by phone from New York.

Central African Republic: Fresh elections scheduled after October poll cancelled | The Guardian

The Central African Republic has scheduled presidential and parliamentary elections for 13 December, the electoral commission has said, reviving delayed efforts to restore democracy in a country rocked by fighting since 2013. The polls were initially to have been held on 18 October but were postponed, in part due to violence in the capital. A run-off presidential vote would be held on 24 January if needed, state radio said.

Central African Republic: CAR elections chief resigns | AFP

The head of the authority in charge of elections in conflict-torn Central African Republic has resigned over pressure to hold national polls before the end of 2015, the authority said Saturday. Dieudonne Kombo Yaya handed in his resignation on Friday, the National Elections Authority (ANE) told AFP in Bangui. The ANE chief cited “pressure from CAR’s presidency and the international community” over the election timetable for his decision to quit.