right now. ok let's update your headlines so far the saudi arabia the u.a.e. bahrain and egypt have agreed to restore full diplomatic relations with cata the kingdom's foreign minister made the announcement after tuesday's gulf summit in it's the most significant moment in regional relations since the illegal blockade began 3 years ago. polls have opened in the u.s. state of georgia where people are voting into runoffs that will decide the balance of power in congress as of friday more than 3000000 people had cast their ballots in early voting the final days of campaigning so rallies from both outgoing president trump and president elect biden in a last minute push for a victory the u.k. has recorded almost 61000 new code with 19 cases for the 1st time since the pandemic began prime minister boris johnson says more than 1000000 people are now

infected that's 2 percent of the population was the johnson has all the people in england to stay at home for at least 7 weeks as part of a new nationwide lockdown the new strain has also been found in france the health minister in paris says there are around 10 cases and he's promised to speed up the vaccination program france has been one of the slowest rollouts in europe but aims to have 300 vaccination centers in operation next week france has seen a sharp rise in people being treated in hospital germany is also expected to extend its measures until the end of january regional leaders are meeting with the german chancellor angela merkel later on tuesday the shutdown includes schools and non-essential stores the country began vaccinating people last month. the new york stock exchange says it no longer plans to delist 3 state owned chinese telecommunications companies it comes days after the exchange said it would remove

the listings in response to an executive order that donald trump signed in november . the former head of a state owned chinese company has been sentenced to death for bribery and corruption and was convicted for taking more than $260000000.00 in bribes the court . said lawyers punishment was because he'd been quote lawless and greedy in the extreme the chinese president xi jinping zanti corruption campaign has seen hundreds of officials arrested since it was launched in 2012 you are right up to speed with all the top stories up next it's inside story off to that i'm back with another news hopefully i'll see them about.

the president of central african republic to wins a 2nd term but the opposition says the election was neither free nor fair so when the president united country divided by a civil war and a humanitarian crisis this is inside story. hello and welcome to the program. the central african republic president has been reelected in a vote marred by violence and intimidation the electoral commission says fast on our congress to a day or a 153 percent of the ballots last sunday he avoids a 2nd round run off with opposition candidates who say the vote was flawed many polling stations didn't open on election day rebels are reported to have attacked

voters and staff and groups allied with former president francois seized a town 20 kilometers from the capital on. prosecutors are investigating whether was easy trying to disrupt the ballot. people don't need weapons to take power you've suffered so much the president has done his best to bring the country forward by 5 years that's why central african voted for them this time and i support another party i'm with the l.p.c. opposition group but if the president won it's because he deserves it he's a man who's fought for this nicholas hawke has been following the latest developments from the car. in a press conference archrival to twitter on shows and you see don't look good he says that the president has not won the popular vote adding to the 8 other candidates who have launched a complaint to the election commission saying that there were not enough people that came out to vote only half of the electorate came out to vote 900000 people and half of the polling stations were open only 2000 of them that's because most of

the country is now in the control or in the hands of armed groups they're just 20 kilometers away from the capital bangui they come to themselves the coalition for patriotic change they say that president is not respecting the peace agreement they want more of a say in the country's future and more money meanwhile in the capital of benghazi there are russian fighters who are trying to secure the capital adding to that they are the rwandan troops sent by president calderon may to support the u.n. peacekeeping force of 12000 people despite all of these troops on the ground while the armed groups are are continuing to make their advances towards the capital caught in all of this of course are the people of the central african republic live in a country the size of france rich in oil diamond and minerals and yet most of them live in dire poverty most women live on less than $2.00 a day and this country has become the battleground between russia and the west

notably france the former colonial power now this election is supposed to resolve all of this but so far it has failed to do so. well discuss all this with our panel in a moment but 1st let's take a closer look at the country's background the central african republic has been struggling with violence since 2013 when a predominantly muslim rebel group the seleka seize power and ousted the president francois was easy since then subsequent waves of violence have worsened leading to the deployment of about $12000.00 u.n. peacekeepers to support african union and french troops a year later in 2019 a peace deal was signed between the government and 14 armed groups but the violence didn't end and instead intensified the conflict has killed thousands of people and displaced millions. all right let's bring in our guests in brussels peter konopka is a fellow at the institute for justice and reconciliation a south africa based think tank and a former dutch diplomat in london michael amoa is

a senior visiting fellow at the fit was lousy center for africa at the london school of economics welcome to the program michael let me start with you today you know it had been reported that definitive results from this election were not expected before january 18th but you know we've already heard from the electoral commission they announced that president 2 of their got 53 percent of the vote in the 1st round is this is surprise and if so what changed well 1st of all it's not of it's not a surprise i mean best know many votes to count there was only about 110000 registered voters so that's no camps and those so perhaps there wasn't. too much about us any potential all or are you know bad. practice so we would have imagined i was a pretty straightforward thing to do. peter does not have the right. all right

thanks michael peter did unrest keep fodor's from going to the polls. yes in quite a number of places there was there was it wasn't secure it wasn't safe there was unrest so there has been. at least 14 out of a think it was 80 different regions there was no possibility for people to go and vote so yes yes and yes michael the opposition had tried to delay this election will they accept the result i mean what happens next well i think the opposition is efficiently complaining that maybe perhaps there were some that are fraud however that hasn't been investigated does not mean investigated and it's not so much a big deal. for this particular election i mean if you actually compare what

happened the center of republic c. minus for example where some 700 point stations could not operate and some thought thousands of words about places they were destruct in a myth bomb scare and mortar shells in could our region from arcady that if you compare that to happen in central african republic you could actually say that central african republic did my expect at. the arkansas next really is that now that election is old and the states is firmly place the governess issue has been settled and you have an exit illegitimate in a recognized common place and the main thing to happen next really is see how the plan to go after the rebel movements it's really busy is a and all of the other rebel factions because the center of the republic really house lurks with us you know

a totally not under government control forest areas however in rebel groups and if we don't deal with these rebel groups they're going to be causing havoc some time so it's quiet it's actually a good thing that a lot of international actors are playing rwanda whom the perhaps the yields plaints. russian or kind of than contributing troops nothing the next big thing really is that all these troops you know well reinforced with all of these chips amassing really concentrates on a long term plan to actually deal with rebel movement to local functions was either way. cap a long term plan about what to do about you know get sick unhappy get unlucky latest arrest is peter if i could ask you to expand a little bit on the point that michael was making i mean 1st can we can we talk a little bit about these armed groups i mean you know who are who are the groups

that comprise these 14 groups. well there's a there's a whole range but they they're there is 2 major events if you want there is the of the black and the eccentric. and the eccentric roughly speaking her the muslim groups from north towards east and the west and the on the block are the groups of christian on the misquotes rather more south and central that came into existence as a response mechanism to the to the seleka that marched into bunky some 6 years 7 years ago. so it goes on it but but there are within those 2 different those 2 phyllis there's there's a variety of different groups that compete between each other that compete over territory that have their you know their their. confrontations between each

other but also have their sort of confined territory where they rule and are the major player no it's the it is the accomplishment of what they are. needs to be recognized for that too that he has brought all these 14 players to table and has signed a peace agreement that initially is messy a community of many many others were doubting that it would hold but it did for a long time until you know april april of this year and you elections played a very important part in disrupting the very very peace deal michael i saw you nodding to some of what peter was saying there did you want to jump in yes that part of that you know. we cannot. well if the current peace deal is going to expire and this yeah i speak i have said then obviously we

cannot another am really. it's quite important to note though that i will not peace deal with that we sign it past were 20122090 center left under our lake never ever satisfy us oh all parties paki because the rebel factions and under control so in the long term really if you're looking to another peace to that would vote in the long term you actually want to be out of a scenario where you actually have the republicans under control you know who to deal with them and for once you know someone has the groups that you know causing havoc and destructive governance the center left wing probably is not the kind of game that can play any longer. and i think that missy at least go out course quite strongly so between now and the next deal perhaps merely what's

interested passwords really think about this how best we can plan effectively at the really once we do with the rebel groups and actually that in the 1st look under a gate they are about interact with the governed i sense that with the current army peter a few moments a few moments ago you were talking about you know the fact that president to i dare you believed deserves some recognition for some of his efforts i want to ask you this do you believe he's going to be able to unite a very divided central african republic. makes true many concerns extremely conserved but try to imagine what happened. in early 2019 of every 2019 days these 14 groups signed the b.c.b. . part of the peace agreement was that they took up positions government positions in bunky now the next thing you know there's elections these people knew from the very start that they would make it they were instant chance in the elections so to

keep to keep their positions to to to keep the positions that they were a foot in the peace deal they need to that they needed to do something that none of them participated in the elections as a candidate so they needed to do something and to have to to make sure that they will keep some of the power some of the of some of the positions that they head they took up arms. and i'm not sure if 2 are there will have the opposition and the men date to bring these people back to do and stable and well for them a position again this is this is going to be the challenge are these people going to be. guaranteed to be convinced that they will be able to take up positions within new form a new government that's going to be for michael what do you think will president to

an arab be able to unite the country going forward i think that the broader mandate for rigging the hottest again you know i came out of the last business of the us with some assistance from not in years. and i think back template will be used to come forward i mean the current president who remain presidents however i think b.m. you know haven't been commanded to bring the past you know far out of the u.n. and i think that. perhaps you were at the table is when he released talk seriously about whether it's actually feasible and how much political room is given to the rebel factions and the very least you know if there's going to be any room for them to sit around the governance table we also need to think about disarmament it's as a precondition for that michael let me interrupt you and just ask you

a quick follow up how much of the country is actually under the control of these armed groups well let's just say that perhaps about. at least 70 percent of the country is not under government control let's put it that way precisely how much is the ram rebel control that uses relevant central africa after republic is debatable because some of these areas are also occupied by rebel factions that are written elsewhere we have the losses army and the decision cody but this really targeted uganda we have rebel factions in the same terry tree also tied up in south sudan we have rebel factions also playing games with your our csa basically come to rely on d r c south sudan the key countries around since a lot of confidence may have rebel groups that are all stationed the center left under army so i mean it's come back to question eyepiece 0 percent of the country

it's not government control but then not on the rebel factions out pretty nigh gates since left they've become economists a pavement and i actually notice for sense longer term for the sake of all the other countries around the world live for the a yearly something really nice to be done about being on regulate that forests regions in central $100.00 probably peter the constitutional court rejected former president bush is as presidential candidacy they said that he did not satisfy the good morality requirement because of an arrest warrant and un sanctions against him for allegedly ordering assassinations torture and other crimes when he was president what is going to happen with these investigations against the former president i mean are prosecutions going to be carried out. well that's the idea yes . well that will they be able to do it is difficult to say but the idea is to bring them to justice. and i think the constitutional court kudo otherwise then

you know what they did the course they took was the it was the only or think they could take what loses a bid to become treatment to. use the disc as also starting point many of the of the conflicts that they're still. in. now on the points of the of the new territory that is on the control of the government the interesting thing is that when the 2019 peace agreement was signed the the the all of a sudden suddenly big the. much bigger chunk old governor of the territory was on his approach control of the government because the government changed in his composition the rebel the 14 rebel groups joined the government and then by definition obviously control of the government off the territory was much bigger and look at what the elections elections did is disturb the process

that's what happened so today suddenly the government has no control over the territory because the rebel groups are no longer part of the government so if the big issue now will be well that the rebel groups rejoin the government of the elections yes or no. and that is that is a very delicate. situation a process that will be seeing over to the next couple of months michael how much of a disruptor can the former president be i mean how how powerful does he remain. well not too powerful but then that's only because he has now joined up with the rebels in 2012 for example these same. patriots for patriots coalition for chains a car and rebel you know where the coalition in 2012 where actually and local

society against it was easy they had another name then called quotation patriots c.g.a. for justice some other name and was easy it was a case them and they were not able to agree to something else and then the coup took place so now it was easy has joints. the rebel factions if you like and that has kind of empowered him to with an expense the extent of his power would depend on whether the rebel factions wants to incorporate him at apple bit chess game going forward but particularly now that he has some specific you know allegations leveled against him. he's going to penalty i slipped it in the proceedings you've been going to be in the seat around the table to renegotiate another piece deal with the there will not be

a violet candidates to sit around the table. and i think the rebel factions will be aware of that one of the difficulties really is that i did the peace deal whether in 2099 a future one of the things that the rebels are actually asking for is not just handing governance but also dacs troops will be matched or are that into the national army. ross is this is a very difficult to talk to our chief because. basically our on the front of the next. it's something which is quite difficult to teach us how exactly how you would not allow more space for that peter i want to take a look at the humanitarian crisis that's enveloping the country as well i mean the u.n. says that over half the population in central african republic is in need of some form of humanitarian assistance i mean how worried are you that the dire the

already dire humanitarian circumstances there are only going to worsen because of the the instability. you know all of the chances of that happening is is extremely high the political process will will be delegates but the humanitarian situation of all can be more delicate because the rebels don't forget the rebels do not necessarily presents the people they represent their own interests not much more than than the interests of the people so the people have suffered. in the hensel to the rebels. and they will continue to do suffer as long as the whole process is not going to come to an outcome in a proper and impulses that outcome during all true 2019 and the 1st bit of 2020 the violence came down in the number of incidents came down the peace the peace diffidence as

a result of the of the peace agreement will stare at the people who are relieved it was some form of growing back to normal and as me just said a d.d.r. and we can see the ation was supposed to be part of the of the peace of movement of the d.d.r. that this demobilization disarmament and reintegration of some of the rebels he's a process that has started out but there's also the feeling amongst the people that that is giving a. price a a a bonus for being a rebel so to the population also wanted to profit from from the east and the recall ca it hasn't started partly because of the cove and the grown up partly because you know some of the he's these processes are slow processes so. so my honest. opinion is is that the elections were too early.

to just diving and uplift the general population subs. michael if the situation continues to worsen if the violence continues i want to ask you a similar question i mean how much worse does a get for civilians because you know violence against civilians and humanitarian workers in central african republic is still quite high isn't it yes it is a quite high and that kind of more to the security. of the city and this doesn't bring confidence in governments that since you know where you know i help civilians to see different peace. one of the things we struggle even need to be positive is actually perhaps maybe. revising the i-man going to mandate of the u.n.

force there because usually they did not peacekeeping mondays is basically just to keep the peace but i think if we look at the row that the u.n. troops placed a few days before the election this was more like a piece of force maybe where there are a lot of that rebels were actually advancement for the capital position themselves advantage points just to make sure that these 2 the rebels are a and to a lot of issues to happen that's what that peace and force them and that's the sort of thing that sort of corrective activities are you expect that the troops should also be playing that think perhaps maybe every official of the mandate is necessary if you know the country is going to be able to actually deal with rebel factions and other security problems. all right we just have about a minute left peter let me just ask you very quickly i know it's a big question but again we only have about a minute left one of the regional implications of continued violence and as

security and sort of after public. stay huge course you. don't forget just you know as as my colleague just said bill some of these regional pows are playing their own game because we bought it so there's there's a lot at play you know if if this use is security new. fighters is giving an opportunity to some of the neighboring states to regain deposition we take. their position it will it will be. tremendously. he said a bet or or not just said but. all right we've run out of times we're going to have to leave the conversation there thanks so much to our guests peter can open and michael. and thank you too for watching you can see the program again any time by

visiting our web site at 0 dot com and for further discussion go to our facebook page that's facebook dot com forward slash a.j. inside story you can also join the conversation on twitter we're at at a.j. inside story for me mama don't ruin the whole thing here by for now. discovered kazakstan that as a new strategic location at the crossroads of europe and asia. develop and grow your business. in the leading logistics trade and business harbor in 1st in a country with a great business climate robust legal system a tax regime and advantageous investment incentives employ a well educated highly skilled and multilingual workforce. by investing in

kazakstan you invest in the largest economy of the region where the growth and prosperity of your business will always be our key priority. invest in kazakstan seize the best opportunities in the heart of eurasia. there is no channel by congress in world news like legion the scale of this camp is like nothing you've ever seen at. all when we want to know is how do these things affect people we revisit me state even when they're no international headlines al-jazeera really invests in that and that's a privilege as

a journalist. this is al-jazeera. hello again i'm peter watching the news hour live from doha coming up in the next 60 minutes we are extremely pleased with having been able to achieve this very important breakthrough the saudi foreign minister says the kingdom and its arab allies are restoring full diplomatic ties with catwalk. voting is underway in the u.s. state of georgia where to run off races will determine if the democrats can claim control.