A new leader promises change in a country ravaged by conflict and mired in a humanitarian crisis.
![Catherine Samba-Panza is the first female leader in the country's history [AP]](/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/201412281957734_20.jpeg?resize=270%2C180&quality=80)

Simon P. Alain HANDY is a policy analyst and specialist on issues of peace, post-conflict reconstruction, mediation and international security. He’s a former visiting fellow at the European Union Institute for Security Studies (EUISS, Paris in 2009).
A new leader promises change in a country ravaged by conflict and mired in a humanitarian crisis.
![Catherine Samba-Panza is the first female leader in the country's history [AP]](/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/201412281957734_20.jpeg?resize=270%2C180&quality=80)