#UN rules out swift #peacekeeping #deployment to #CentralAfricanRepublic Deputy secretary general said that even with a #speedy #MDG : #CAR : Central African Republic #refugees Refugees cook #food in #Bouca. The town is home to a Catholic mission that has been aiding refugees alongside #MédecinsSansFrontières. Photograph: Juan Carlos Tomasi/MSF/EPA A UN #peacekeeping #force would take at least two or three months to deploy in the Central African Republic (CAR) even if there was a speedy UN security council resolution, Jan Eliasson, the UN deputy secretary general said on Wednesday. The chronically unstable and landlocked country has plunged into chaos in recent months after a coalition of rebels overthrew the government in March. Eliasson, who was attending an EU development conference in Brussels, said the brutality and sectarian violence in the worsening crisis, could degenerate into widespread atrocities. Given the time it would take to send peacekeepers, the UN is banking on a quick deployment of troops by France, the former colonial power, to restore some semblance of order as they did in Mali when Tuareg and jihadist rebels threatened to advance on the capital Bamako. French officials this week expressed readiness to reinforce the 400 troops already in the capital Bangui. France has already indicated sending 800 more troops to bring its total to 1,200, that will improve security, said a veteran UN diplomat. The world has paid little heed to the deteriorating situation in CAR, despite warnings from humanitarian organisations. But reports of the savagery inflicted upon civilians is making the crisis increasingly difficult to ignore. Since seizing power, Seleka rebels have been accused by human rights groups of committing abuses including killings, rapes and conscription of child soldiers. It is a hugely critical situation. On Monday, I made one of my most dramatic reports to the [UN security] council, Eliasson said. It was not an early warning, it was a late warning. The violence in the mineral-rich but impoverished country has turned increasingly communal, pitting the mainly Muslim Seleka rebels against Christian militias. The French foreign minister, Laurent Fabius, warned this week that if CAR imploded as a result of a power vacuum, instability could threaten all the countries in the region. These include Chad, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Cameroon. The UN is counting on France acting as an effective stop-gap measure until an African Union force is deployed but it is unclear how quickly such a contingent is deployed amid questions over funding. There are 2,500 African regional peacekeeping troops in CAR. This is due to be increased to 3,600 by January. But they are stretched thin and struggling to maintain order in a land mass bigger than France where villages are often inaccessible by road. Eliasson stressed the need for humanitarian workers to have access to those in need. What we need are eyes and ears on the ground so they can have a calming influence, he said. In his report to the council on Monday, Eliasson said virtually the entire population of 4.6 million people was enduring suffering beyond imagination, and a third of the people are in dire need of food, healthcare, sanitation and shelter. Ban ki-Moon, the UN secretary general, last week presented the council options for supporting the AU-led operation financially and logistically, as well as the option of transforming it into a UN peacekeeping operation. Ban said he would back a UN force with nearly 11,000 soldiers and police if the crisis worsens. theguardian/global-development/2013/nov/28/un-peacekeeping-central-african-republic?guni=Network%20front:network-front%20main-3%20Main%20trailblock:Network%20front%20-%20main%20trailblock:Position7
Posted on: Thu, 28 Nov 2013 17:36:03 +0000
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