France Sending 1,000 Troops to Central African Republic
France is sending about 1,000 extra troops to the Central African Republic to help support African peacekeepers in trying to return order to the country.
French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Tuesday the additional troops will deploy for about six months.
France currently has about 400 soldiers based in the C.A.R.’s capital, Bangui.
The overall peacekeeping force has about 2,500 of a planned total of 3,500 troops already in the country. The African Union will take over responsibility next month for the mission, which has been tasked with protecting civilians and restoring the central government’s authority.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon laid out a range of options for the international community to support the country, including a proposal to convert the A.U. force into a U.N. peacekeeping mission.
Ban said in a report earlier this month that the C.A.R. lacks a national authority able to guarantee the security of the state or of its people.
The conflict has displaced 400,000 people internally and created a humanitarian situation that Ban said has affected all of the 4.6 million people living in the C.A.R.
The situation in the Central African Republic has been chaotic since March, when rebels overthrew President Francois Bozize. The transitional government has been unable to control the former rebels or keep Muslim and Christian groups from fighting each other.
The Central African Republic has endured a long series of coups and rebellions since gaining independence from France in 1960.
Source: VOANews
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