Yearbook 2008
Central African Republic. In June, the government and three rebel groups signed a ceasefire agreement aimed at stopping years of armed conflict in the country’s northern parts. However, the formal peace talks that followed the ceasefire went slow, and an amnesty for war crimes adopted by Parliament in September was received with doubt by the rebels, who considered the amnesty too tight. Meanwhile, smaller rebel groups, which were not covered by the ceasefire, continued to attack villages in the north.
Extensive strikes among teachers and other public servants caused Prime Minister Élie Doté to resign in January in the face of a threatening declaration of confidence in Parliament. The dissatisfaction was great among the government employees who did not receive a salary for six months. Faustin Archange Touadéra, Professor of Mathematics and Rector of the University of Bangui, was appointed as new Prime Minister.
- ABBREVIATIONFINDER: Click to see the meanings of 2-letter acronym and abbreviation of CT in general and in geography as Central African Republic in particular.
A newspaper editor sentenced to six months in prison for writing about corruption among ministers was pardoned by the president. On the other hand, it was three years in prison for two civil servants who falsified the president’s signature on a document ordering the education authorities to approve 44 student bachelor’s degrees. Both men must have been paid by the students’ parents to produce approved grades.
Population 2008
According to Countryaah reports, the population of Central African Republic in 2008 was 4,386,657, ranking number 121 in the world. The population growth rate was 1.670% yearly, and the population density was 7.0416 people per km2.
