Central African Republic on brink of collapse - U.N.
Crisis threatening to spread beyond borders as UN officials urge Security
Council to support African Union peacekeeping force.
15/08/2013
Grenades are pictured as members of the Multinational Force of Central
Africa (FOMAC) are seen in the background during a patrol on July 20, 2013
in Bangui, still beset by violence since the overthrow of the Central
African Republic regime by a Seleka rebel group in March. (AFP PHOTO/XAVIER
BOURGOIS)
New York, Reuters-The Central African Republic is on the brink of collapse
and the crisis is threatening to spread beyond its borders, senior U.N.
officials said on Wednesday as they urged the Security Council to help fund
and support an African Union peacekeeping force.
The landlocked former French colony - one of the poorest places on earth -
has been plunged into chaos since the Seleka rebels seized power from
President Francois Bozize four months ago, triggering a humanitarian crisis
in the heart of Africa.
The African Union this month rolled an existing 1,100-strong regional
peacekeeping mission, known as MICOPAX, into a new, larger AU peacekeeping
force. The number of troops will be more than tripled to 3,600 and the force
has an AU mandate to protect civilians, help stabilize the country and
restore government.
"The African Union has requested financial, logistical and technical
support. We have recommended to the council to provide this support. We have
also recommended to better adapt the U.N. (political) mission to the current
situation," U.N. envoy to the Central African Republic, retired Lieutenant
General Babacar Gaye, said.
The African Union and United Nations plan to send experts to the Central
African Republic shortly to assess exactly what was needed and U.N.
diplomats said that on the basis of those reports the Security Council would
respond with a resolution.
Gaye and U.N. Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Ivan Simonovic
both signalled to the Security Council that the AU force would not be enough
to combat the crisis in the Central African Republic, which borders six
other states.
"A much larger and nationally more diversified force is needed to provide
security and protect the population," Simonovic said. "Such a force would
also prevent foreign rebel groups, such as the Lord's Resistance Army or
Islamist extremist groups, from finding a safe haven in the country."
'TOTAL BREAKDOWN'
The U.N. Security Council said in a statement after Wednesday's meeting that
it was willing "to consider all potential options to stabilize the Central
African Republic (CAR)."
"The members of the Security Council expressed deep concern at the security
situation in CAR, characterized by a total breakdown in law and order, and
the absence of the rule of law," the statement said.
"They stressed that the armed conflict and crisis in CAR pose a serious
threat to the stability of the CAR and the region," it said.
U.N. aid chief Valerie Amos told the council the Central African Republic
was at risk of becoming a failed state.
She said every one of the country's 4.6 million people - half of whom are
children - had been affected by the crisis. About 1.6 million of them are in
dire need of assistance. More than 206,000 people have been internally
displaced and nearly 60,000 have fled to neighbouring countries.
"It is critical for the continued safety of humanitarian operations that the
AU mission has the funds and logistical support to operate effectively,"
Amos told the 15-member Security Council.
"The failure to act now could not only prolong and exacerbate the appalling
conditions the people of the Central African Republic have had to endure,
but could also see the crisis spread beyond its borders and throughout a
region already facing enormous challenges," she said.
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Received on Thu Aug 15 2013 - 16:47:45 EDT