PARIS/BANGUI: France said yesterday it would increase its force in Central African Republic to at least 1,000 soldiers once a UN resolution is passed next week to try to prevent sectarian violence from destabilising the entire region.
The landlocked nation of 4.6 million people at the heart of Africa has descended into chaos since the Seleka coalition of rebels, many of them from neighbouring Chad and Sudan, ousted President Francois Bozize in March.
Seleka leader Michel Djotodia, installed as an interim president, has failed to control his mostly Muslim fighters, who have preyed upon the mainly Christian population, unleashing a wave of tit-for-tat killings.
France, which presides over the 15-member UN Security Council in December, hopes a resolution for international intervention in its mineral-rich former colony can be adopted next week.
A French-drafted UN resolution, obtained by Reuters, would give a six-month mandate for French troops and the African-led International Support Mission (MISCA) to restore order, protect civilians, and rebuild state authority.
“We are going to reinforce our presence,” Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told France Culture radio. “Until now, only Central Africans were threatened, but if a power vacuum is created, it will threaten all countries in the region: Chad, Sudan, Congo and Cameroon.”
France now has 400 troops in the riverside capital Bangui, securing the international airport and French interests.
Central African Republic Prime Minister Nicolas Tiangaye told Reuters on Monday after a meeting with Fabius in Paris that France aimed to boost its force by 800 soldiers.
Asked about the figure of 800 additional troops, Fabius said the number “makes sense”.
REUTERS
