President João Lourenço analyses CAR situation with counterparts

Luanda – Angolan Head of State João Lourenço addressed Thursday in Luanda the situation in the Central African Republic (CAR).

João Lourenço, who is also president of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), met with his counterparts from CAR and Chad, respectively Faustin Touadéra and Mahamat Idriss Déby.

The two-hour meeting, held at the invitation of the host, is part of regular consultations on the peace and security situation in CAR, a country located in the Great Lakes region.

At the end of the meeting, the Angolan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Téte António, said that the consultations took place in a “fraternal environment”, adding that the three statesmen decided to continue with fraternity existing among the countries of the region.

This organisation, created in 2006, includes Angola, Burundi, CAR, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Chad.

CAR situation

Since the coup d’état perpetrated by the rebel group “Seleka”, which led to the overthrow of François Bozize, former Central African President, the country has been plunged into a situation of growing insecurity.

Ethnic violence and religious clashes force the residents to leave their home villages.

Data released by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) put at 60, 000 the number of citizens who fled the violence since December 2020.

The current Head of State, Faustin-Archange Touadéra, won the presidential elections on 27 December last, with 53.16 percent of the votes, against 21.69 percent garnered by his main opponent, former Prime Minister Anicet Georges Dologuéle.

Source: Angola Press News Agency

CAR President arrives in Angola

Luanda – The Head of State of the Central African Republic (CAR) Faustin-Archange Touadéra arrived Thursday in Luanda to participate in a meeting with his counterparts from the Republics of Angola and Chad.

At the 4 de Fevereiro International Airport, the President of CAR was received by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs for Administration, Finance and Heritage, Maria Auxiliadora Fragoso Pascoal Ramiro, and distinguished individuals.

At today’s meeting, the three statesmen are going to analyze the political and security situation prevailing in Chad and the Central African Republic, among other specific issues of common interest.

The meeting, to be chaired by the Angolan President, João Lourenço, will take place at the Presidential Palace, in Luanda.

Source: Angola Press News Agency

US Senate Panel Questions Southwest Airlines about Holiday Failures

Southwest Airlines executives and union officials are appearing before the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Thursday to explain the cancellation of 16,700 flights last December in the middle of the holiday traveling season.

In a statement to the media ahead of his testimony, Southwest Airlines Chief Operating Officer Andrew Watterson took full responsibility for the failures that left more than 1 million passengers stranded in airports around the United States.

“We messed up. We own that,” he said, and pledged to take steps to ensure there will not be a repeat in the future.

Casey Murray, president of the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association (SWAPA), is also scheduled to testify at Thursday’s hearing. In a statement, he blamed the airline’s outdated scheduling technology and operational processes.

Murray said the airline ignored warnings about the system for years and said SWAPA predicted the holiday meltdown a month before it happened.

In a statement ahead of the hearing, Senator Maria Cantwell, chairwoman of the Senate Commerce Committee, said she was eager to hear the pilot’s testimony on how the debacle could have been avoided if the airline had acted sooner. She said the committee will be considering how to strengthen protections for consumers.

Source: Voice of America