The Order of Central African Merit is the highest civil decoration of the

Central African Republic The Central African Republic (CAR; ; , RCA; , or , ) is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Chad to the north, Sudan to the northeast, South Sudan to the southeast, the DR Congo to the south, the Republic of th ...

. It was instituted on 20 June 1959, with the Grand Officer class being added on October 13, 1961. It is awarded for special merit in the

humanitarian Humanitarianism is an active belief in the value of human life, whereby humans practice benevolent treatment and provide assistance to other humans to reduce suffering and improve the conditions of humanity for moral, altruistic, and emotional ...

, economic and social spheres.

Grades

It has five grades: Grand Cross, Grand Officer, Commander, Officer, and Knight. In addition, there is a Collar, which is the ''de facto'' presidential insignia. File:Orde van Verdienste van Centraal-Afrika Officier.jpg, Order of Merit, Officer's badge front File:Order of Merit officer badge reverse (Central African Republic) - Tallinn Museum of Orders.jpg, Order of Merit, Officer's badge reverse

References

Orders, decorations, and medals of the Central African Republic Orders of merit Awards established in 1959 1959 establishments in Africa {{Orders-medals-stub