In order to pay tribute to the soldiers who have fallen on the battlefield to consolidate peace in the Central African Republic, a defense and security forces Peace Cup is being organized from July 15 to August 13 in Bangui.
The announcement was made on July 4 at a press briefing held by Eric Akondja, the initiator of the tournament.
According to Akondja, the tournament's aim is to highlight the actions undertaken by the defense and security forces.
"We have organized this tournament to pay tribute to all the soldiers who have lost their lives during the crises our country has experienced, but also to the many efforts made by our defense and security forces to restore peace. This tournament will pit all the defense and security forces against each other, as well as the foreign forces on mission in CAR, namely the Rwandan contingent and EUTM, and will be played from July 15 to August 13, the anniversary of our independence. To this end, we are asking the football-mad public to come out and applaud our men in uniform, who are the key players in the peace process," he announced.
After multiple armed conflicts that shook the Central African Republic and weakened many of its institutions, including the defense and security sector, changes aimed at restructuring the forces have been observed, media claim.
To support this reconstruction, a number of strategies have been put in place to encourage these forces. With this in mind, a Peace Cup has been launched to pay tribute to the efforts made by these men in uniform.
The soccer tournament, which runs from July 15 to August 13 on the grounds of ENAM, the Gendarmerie, the Municipal Stadium and the 20,000-seat Complex, will feature teams from FACA (Central African Armed Forces), Customs, the Municipal Police, the National Gendarmerie, the National Police, EUTM and the Rwandan MINUSCA contingent.