UN AGREES TO SEND 900 EXTRA PEACEKEEPERS TO CENTRAL AFRICA

UN AGREES TO SEND 900 EXTRA PEACEKEEPERS TO CENTRAL AFRICA

UNITED NATIONS: The UN Security Council unanimously agreed to beef up the UN mission in the Central African Republic with 900 extra troops and step up measures to prevent sex abuse by peacekeepers.

The council voted 15-0 to extend the mandate of the Minusca force for a year following negotiations between France, which drafted the resolution, and the United States, the biggest financial contributor to UN peacekeeping.

Despite its repeated calls for cuts to peacekeeping, the United States agreed to a request for the 900 extra troops from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who has warned of a risk of ethnic cleansing.

BLOODSHED

Guterres argued that the Minusca force had reached its limit, struggling to cope with growing violence in the impoverished African country since late last year. The council set a new ceiling for troops to 11,650, up from 10,750. An additional 2,080 police are authorised to serve as peacekeepers.

"The Security Council cannot afford to take the risk of allowing the CAR to relapse into a crisis in which it was mired," said French Ambassador Francois Delattre following the vote. The Central African Republic has been struggling to return to stability since an explosion of bloodshed after the 2013 overthrow of long time leader Francois Bozize by the mainly Muslim Seleka rebel alliance.

France intervened militarily to push out the Seleka, but the country remains plagued by violence pitting groups competing for control of resources and areas of influence. Part of the instability has been fuelled by the withdrawal in April of Ugandan troops combatting the rebel Lord's Resistance Army in the country, with backing from US special forces.

Delattre told reporters that France and the United States took a pragmatic approach to reach agreement on the troop increase. "With our American friends, the more the discussions are based on a pragmatic approach, about life-and-death issues, about effects on the ground, the better," he said.

Highest standards

US Deputy Ambassador Michele Sison praised the mission for protecting Muslims during fighting in the town of Bangassou this year, but said peacekeepers must "meet the highest performance standards."

Deployed in 2014, Minusca has been hit by a string of sex abuse allegations against peacekeepers that led to the firing of the mission commander in 2015 and the repatriation of contingents which faced repeated accusations. The council requested in the resolution that Guterres take "all necessary measures" to ensure that Minusca forces comply with a zero-tolerance policy, and it calls for regular reports to the council on rape allegations.

On Monday, the United Nations appointed an independent panel to investigate whether Minusca peacekeepers failed to protect civilians when violence broke out in the southeast from May to August this year. The 900 extra peacekeepers are likely to include highly-mobile units, possibly from Brazil, which could rapidly deploy to hotspots.

The resolution also backed the redeployment of the re-trained Central African FACA army forces to the interior of the country, with support from Minusca. The FACA were swept up in the fighting in 2013, siding with insurgents from all factions, but have since undergone training by the European Union.

UN SEEKS MORE PEACEKEEPERS FOR CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

UNITED NATIONS SEEKS MORE PEACEKEEPERS FOR CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

Bangui - The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Central African Republic is requesting about 750 more troops to help fill a "security vacuum" worsened by the withdrawal of US Special Forces as violence surges again, according to a confidential cable obtained.

The additional troops are needed in the southeast after the withdrawal this year of U.S. and Ugandan troops hunting the Lord's Resistance Army rebels, according to the message from mission head Parfait Onanga-Anyanga to the UN's head of peacekeeping operations in New York.

Hundreds of people have been killed since May and more than half a million people have been displaced as largely sectarian violence moves into parts of Central African Republic that were spared the worst of the fighting that began in 2013. International observers warn that the country is approaching the levels of violence seen at the height of the conflict in 2014.

The UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday said he wanted to "shine a spotlight on an under-reported emergency" in Central African Republic, which has seen a 37 percent increase in refugees and displaced people in the past three months.

INCREASED ATTACKS ON CIVILIANS

Rebel groups control an estimated 70 percent of the country, according to international human rights organisations. The UN mission has acknowledged that its authorised force of 10 750 military personnel and 2,080 police is not enough in the country roughly the size of Texas.

The request for more troops would increase the total of uniformed peacekeepers to about 13,500.

"It's pretty clear that the mission, with its current capacity, is overstretched," said Human Rights Watch researcher Lewis Mudge. "They simply don't have the means to address the increased attacks on civilians."

The fighting is mostly between predominantly Muslim ex-Seleka rebels and majority Christian anti-Balaka fighters over resources and trade routes in the countryside.

The existence of the Lord's Resistance Army rebel group in the region is also a concern. The US and Ugandan militaries in pulling out of the hunt for the LRA said the group had largely been neutralized. However, leader Joseph Kony, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes, remains one of Africa's most-wanted fugitives. The UN has reported kidnappings by the LRA in the region since the pullout.

In his cable, Onanga-Anyanga wrote that "new actors are emerging to fill the security vacuum (in the southeast), creating upheaval in a once relatively calm region." Those include offshoots of the ex-Seleka and anti-Balaka fighters.

PEACEKEEPING BUDGETS

The UN peacekeeping mission needs an "urgent increase in military capabilities given the deteriorating security situation and escalating violence against civilians, humanitarians and peacekeepers," said Evan Cinq-Mars?, the UN advocate and policy adviser at the non-profit Center for Civilians in Conflict.

But any request for more resources for the UN mission is challenged by pressure from the Trump administration to cut peacekeeping budgets, even though the US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, met with Central African Republic President Faustin Touadera in March and reaffirmed US support for the country.

THE UN PEACEKEEPING MISSION DID NOT COMMENT.

The additional peacekeepers, if granted, also may be used to push out the ex-Seleka rebel group Popular Front for the Renaissance of Central African Republic. Onanga-Anyanga's cable said the mission's force commander is "confident the armed groups can be ousted from Bria" town in the southeast. The UN peacekeepers earlier this year forced the ex-Seleka rebel group Union for the Peace in Central African Republic out of the central mining town of Bambari. Mudge, who recently visited Bambari, said the town is doing better now with the peacekeepers and state security forces back in control.

"Efforts to oust (rebels) from major towns, as long as there are sufficient blue helmets to maintain peace, may increase stability in the east," Mudge said, referring to the peacekeepers.

CONGO TO WITHDRAW TROOPS FROM CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC PEACEKEEPING MISSION- UN

CONGO TO WITHDRAW TROOPS FROM CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC PEACEKEEPING MISSION- UN

The United Nations says Congo Republic will withdraw its troops from a peacekeeping mission in Central African Republic (CAR) after a review sparked by sexual abuse accusations found “systemic problems in command and control.” The country has some 630 troops on the ground in Central African Republic, according to the latest United Nations figures.

A United Nations database of sexual abuse and exploitation accusations showed three reported incidents involving Congo Republic troops in CAR in 2017. Nine were reported in 2016. The United Nations in a statement said: “the review of the deployment of uniformed military personnel from the Republic of Congo found that the nature and extent of existing allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse, in their totality, point to systemic problems in command and control.

“These problems have also been compounded by issues related to the preparedness, overall discipline, maintenance of contingent owned equipment, and logistical capacity of these troops.”

The world body said the review was shared with the Congo Republic authorities who then “decided to withdraw their military personnel.” The 13,000-strong peacekeeping mission is seeking to contain violence in a multi-year conflict driven by ethnic and religious grievances and vying over vast diamond resources.

The United Nations said some 140 Congo Republic police would remain part of the peacekeeping mission in Central African Republic because “failures identified with the military contingent are not reflected by the performance of the police.”

REPUBLIC OF CONGO TO PULL TROOPS FROM CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

REPUBLIC OF CONGO TO PULL TROOPS FROM CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

UNITED NATIONS – The United Nations announced Wednesday that the Republic of Congo is withdrawing its peacekeeping troops from conflict-torn Central African Republic following allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse.

A statement from the U.N. Secretariat said a review of the country's deployment pointed to "systemic problems in command and control" of the peacekeepers, compounded by issues related to their preparedness and discipline and the maintenance of their equipment.

The U.N. said the outcome of the review was shared with Republic of Congo authorities who decided to withdraw their military personnel, numbering nearly 650, according to the U.N. peacekeeping department.

It said "failures identified with the military contingent are not reflected in the performance of the police contingent" from the Republic of Congo, which will remain in Central African Republic. The U.N. says about 140 police from Republic of Congo are in the country.

The U.N. peacekeeping mission in Central African Republic, which arose from a regional force in September 2014, has been marred by allegations of sexual misconduct by troops from a wide array of countries.

Contingents from Republic of Congo and the much larger neighboring nation of Congo already have been repatriated after it was found they "had committed sexual violence while deployed in Bambari between 14 September and 14 December 2015," according to a U.N. report on abuses in Central African Republic that was released last month.

That report identified hundreds of human rights violations in Central African Republic since 2003 that may amount to war crimes, including massacres, gang rapes and entire villages burned to the ground.

Ahead of Wednesday's announcement, AIDS-Free World's Code Blue Campaign to end sexual abuse and exploitation said it was "relieved" by the impending withdrawal of what it called "a notorious battalion of Republic of Congo/Congo-Brazzaville peacekeepers."

But the advocacy group in an open letter Tuesday asked why it had taken so long, in light of Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' appointment of a high-level task force in January charged with coming up with "game-changing solutions" to the U.N.'s long-running sexual abuse "scandal."

Code Blue said it was still waiting for a response to a June 6 letter it sent to Guterres asking what happened to at least seven victims, including six children, and at least 11 troops from the battalion that appear to be listed on a U.N. website that documents allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation.

It also noted that the results of 10 of 15 investigations are marked "pending," another is marked "incomplete" and no final action has been taken by the Republic of Congo for two of three cases marked "substantiated."

"We can't help but deduce a shocking delay in the administration of justice," AIDS-Free World's co-directors Paula Donovan and Stephen Lewis said.

The Republic of Congo military contingent has been part of a 12,870-strong force in Central African Republic.

The U.N. said it is working with the Republic of Congo and the peacekeeping force in Central African Republic on how to conduct "a speedy withdrawal that will have the least impact on the mission's operational requirements and ability to implement its mandate."

It was not immediately clear how the U.N. will fill the gap, which occurs at a time when the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Central African Republic has been overstretched trying to protect civilians in an ever-moving conflict. The most recent violence has hit parts of the country that previously were spared the kind of intercommunal fighting seen at the height of the crisis in early 2014.

Efforts to broker a peace agreement appear to have failed within hours of a deal being signed Monday in Rome. Thirteen of the country's 14 armed groups had agreed to an immediate ceasefire, but heavy fighting broke out in the town of Bria on Tuesday and authorities there believe at least 100 already are dead though conditions have been too insecure for Red Cross teams to collect bodies in the streets.

ARMED GROUP ATTACKS CIVILIANS PEACEKEEPER KILLED

ARMED GROUP ATTACKS CIVILIANS PEACEKEEPER KILLED

13 May 2017 – The United Nations peacekeeping force in the Central African Republic is sending reinforcements to the south-eastern town of Bangassou, where an armed group opened fire on civilians overnight killing an undisclosed number and at least one UN peacekeeper.

“The armed elements continue to systematically and deliberately attack the MINUSCA base with heavy weaponry to impede the peacekeepers from doing their extremely vital task of protecting the civilian population and to divert them from their primary vocation of saving lives,” the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the country, known by the French acronym MINUSCA, said in a statement.

The Mission said that members of a wide coalition, including anti-Balaka elements attacked civilian populations overnight, targeting in particular Muslims, in the Tokoyo neighborhood of Bangassou. “Despite heavy fire against MINUSCA's field office, peacekeepers attempted to respond to the attack in Tokoyo to protect civilians. In the firefight, which continued into the morning of 13 May, one peacekeeper of the Moroccan contingent died from gunshot injuries,” the Mission said.

According to preliminary information, displaced civilians have fled to the mosque, the Catholic Church and a hospital. “At this time it is difficult to ascertain the humanitarian situation in Bangassou. However credible sources have confirmed an undetermined number of civilian casualties, MINUSCA said. The Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of MINUSCA Parfait Onanga-Anyanga vigorously condemned the attack, adding that “MINUSCA will do everything in its power together with the legitimate Central African authorities to arrest the perpetrators of these horrible acts.”

He said the international community will be “relentless” in apprehending the perpetrators of these crimes and all their commanders, including some instigators who may be sponsoring these attacks from Bangui. “Our actions will be relentless. The blood of peacekeepers and the blood of innocent Central Africans will not fall in vain in this country,” he added.

The attack came just hours after the UN held a memorial ceremony to honour five peacekeepers killed on 8 May in a nearby village of Yogofongo. People connected with the anti-Balaka group are also suspected in the attack. Special Representative Onanga-Anyanga was joined by the UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, and other senior UN officials, who are on a special visit to the country. Earlier in the day, they visited the 10 Cambodian and Moroccan peacekeepers injured in the attack and wished them a speedy recovery.

UNITED NATIONS GRANT $70,000 COMPENSATION TO PEACEKEEPERS’ FAMILIES

UNITED NATIONS GRANT $70,000 COMPENSATION TO PEACEKEEPERS’ FAMILIES,

The United Nations will grant about $70,000 in compensation to the families of four Cambodian peacekeepers who were killed in the Central African Republic while on a UN peacekeeping mission when their unit was attacked on Monday.

Talking to reporters after paying his respects to the dead peacekeepers on Friday, General Sem Sovanny, the director-general of the Cambodian National Center for Peacekeeping Forces, said that so far, the amount of compensation being granted is about $70,000. 

He added that Cambodia had received money from the UN and was preparing to grant it to the families of the peacekeepers who died. “They [the families of the dead peacekeepers] have already been contacted in order to receive the money.

It could take place at the Foreign Affairs Ministry under the leadership of Prak Sokhonn, the Foreign Affairs Minister,” Gen Sovanny said, adding that Mr Sokhonn would find a suitable schedule for the handover ceremony. He added that the bodies of the four peacekeepers would arrive in Cambodia during the next two weeks.

UN Mission condemns deadly attack on peacekeepers in Central African Republic

UN MISSION CONDEMNS DEADLY ATTACK ON PEACEKEEPERS IN CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

09^th May 2017 – The United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic (CAR) has strongly condemned yesterday’s attack on one of its convoys in the country’s south that killed one Cambodian peacekeeper.

“MINUSCA vigorously denounces this odious attack on peacekeepers whose presence on Central African soil has no other objective than to help the country to protect its population and to allow the Central African Republic to emerge from the cycle of violence caused by armed groups,” said a press release, referring to the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in CAR by its French acronym.

Eight peacekeepers were also injured, including one Cambodian and seven Moroccan, near Bangassou, about 474 km east of the nation’s capital, Bangui, with four peacekeepers missing in action, according to MINUSCA.

The Mission said it has sent a helicopter and peacekeepers to secure the site and search for those missing in action. A medevac plane evacuated the injured peacekeepers, who have arrived in Bangui and are receiving medical care.

The Mission said it will do everything possible to ensure that the perpetrators of the attack –who fled into the bush – are arrested so that they can be brought to justice.

MINUSCA recalled that “harming the life of a peacekeeper can be considered a war crime and subject to prosecution.”

The Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of MINUSCA, Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, extended condolences to the family of the victim, his contingent and his country, while expressing his gratitude for the work and sacrifices of the peacekeepers in protecting the population in the country.

Burundi rejects African Union peacekeepers as invasion force

BURUNDI REJECTS AFRICAN UNION PEACEKEEPERS AS INVASION FORCE

Nairobi- Burundi's government said Sunday it would not agree to the deployment of African Union (AU) peacekeepers, warning that they would be seen as "an invasion force".

The announcement came a day after the 54-member bloc said it would send a 5,000-strong force to halt spiralling violence in the tiny central African country as fears grow that it is rapidly sliding towards civil war. It gave the government in Bujumbura a four-day deadline to agree to the offer, but warned it would send troops anyway.

"Burundi is clear on the matter: it is not ready to accept an AU force on its territory," deputy presidential spokesman Jean-Claude Karerwa told. "If AU troops came without the government's approval, it would be an invasion and occupation force, and the Burundi government would reserve the right to act accordingly."

Burundi has so far dismissed proposals for any peacekeeping force on its territory and Karerwa said any such move by the AU would have to be approved by the UN Security Council. "The Burundi government believes the AU resolution cannot be automatically applied and must first be endorsed by the UN Security Council," he said.

The Security Council late Saturday urged all Burundian stakeholders to cooperate with the proposed African Union peacekeeping mission. It condemned violence on all sides and the "persistence of impunity, as well as of the inflammatory statements made by Burundian political leaders".

The standoff comes as international alarm grows over soaring unrest in Burundi where at least 87 people were killed on December 11 in a crackdown by security forces after an attack on three military bases. Many of the dead were youths who were shot dead by the security forces.

- 'Arbitrary killings' -

Burundi has been in crisis since April, when President Pierre Nkurunziza began seeking a third term in a move that even some in his own camp judged unconstitutional. The situation deteriorated when Nkurunziza was re-elected in July in a poll that was boycotted by the opposition.

The country has since spiralled into violence and there are fears in the international community this could deteriorate into genocide. In a strongly-worded statement issued on Saturday, the AU said it would "take additional measures" to ensure the new force's deployment.

It underlined its determination "to take all appropriate measures against any party or actor... who would impede the implementation of the present decision".

The announcement came two days after the bloc's Peace and Security Council met over the crisis and agreed it would not allow "another genocide" on African soil. No details have been given about which countries might send troops -- or when they would be deployed.

The AU has urged talks with its members including regional countries in the AU's East African Standby Force (EASF) "to generate the troops and police elements needed to quickly reach the authorised strength". The 10-nation EASF includes Burundi itself, and is one of five AU regional bodies with a mandate to boost "peace and security". It has never deployed and is currently a force in principle only.

AU rights investigators last week returned from a fact-finding mission to Burundi expressing "great concern" after witnessing some of the heaviest fighting in the troubled country for months. The AU team said it had reports of "arbitrary killings and targeted assassinations" as well as arrests, detentions and torture.

Karerwa said both chambers of the national parliament would hold an extraordinary meeting on Monday to debate the African Union move, adding that "Burundi always reaches out to the international community"

350 Bangladeshi Police to join UN mission in Central African Republic

350 BANGLADESHI POLICE TO JOIN UN MISSION IN CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

Dhaka- Bangladeshi police are expected to deploy some 350 personnel to the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Central African Republic in the month of October.

This will be the first United Nations peacekeeping mission in Central African Republic for the members of Bangladesh police, according to a Dhaka-based privately-run news agency. The United Nations decided to start sending peacekeepers from different countries to Central African Republic from September 15. 

Currently, over 1,750 members, including 190 female, of Bangladesh Police have been deployed in different peacekeeping missions in Congo, South Sudan, Darfur, Ivory Coast, Mali and Haiti.

Bangladesh Police Headquarters said has already given consent to the United Nations Headquarters, that Bangladesh police have the capacity to send more peacekeepers as per the requirement. 

On March 14 this year, both Muslim and Christian leaders of Central African Republic pleaded the United Nations Security Council for deploying peacekeepers to the country that has been ripped apart by unprecedented sectarian violence in recent times.

Later, the United Nations secretariat requested the member states to provide peacekeepers with adequate capabilities and equipment, and to enhance the capacity of UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Central African Republic (MINUSCA) to operate and discharge its responsibilities, including specialized competencies and language skill appropriate to discharge the entrusted police task. 

United News of Bangladesh quoted an unnamed source at the police headquarters saying the UN headquarters has already sent a request letter seeking contribution to support the MINUSCA.

Two police units comprising 140 members each along with 50 more members for the UNPOL will be deployed to the Central African Republic by October this year if everything goes well, he said. 

Assistant Inspector General of the Police, Assaduzzaman, acknowledged that the police headquarters has already given consent for deploying Bangladeshi peacekeepers.

Assistant Inspector General of Police Assaduzzaman told “We got the new offer to deploy more peacekeepers under UN Peacekeeping Mission as members of Bangladesh police have been discharging their duties with reputation in different countries,”  

UN peacekeeping chief discusses roll-out of Central African Republic mission

UNITED NATIONS PEACEKEEPING CHIEF DISCUSSES ROLL OUT OF CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC MISSION IN BANGUI

03 May 2014 – The head of United Nations peacekeeping operations continued today his visit to the Central African Republic (CAR), where he met a range of stakeholders and pledged that “no effort will be spared” towards full deployment of a newly mandated 12,000-strong United Nation mission to help stabilize the crisis-riven country.

At a press conference earlier today in the CAR capital of Bangui, Hervé Ladsous, Under-Secretary-General for UN Peacekeeping Operations, told reporters that he had headed to the country as soon as possible following the Security Council's unanimous authorization on 10 April of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission, to be known as MINUSCA.

“I have come…to personally get a more accurate picture of the situation. To hear from the different actors and stakeholders, to be sure that we integrate all these elements in the vision we have for deployment of MINUSCA, "said Mr. Ladsous, emphasizing the Organization's commitment to help usher the country of “this terrible crisis,” and end the suffering that has continued “far too long.”

Fighting in CAR has taken on an increasingly sectarian nature following a 2012 coup and has since grown more brutal with reports of ongoing human rights violations and reprisal attacks between largely Christian anti-balaka and mostly Muslim Séléka rebels that have displaced hundreds of thousands of people both inside and outside the country, and left 2.2 million in need of humanitarian aid.

The new UN Mission will take over the responsibilities of the African-led International Support Mission, known as MISCA, and, as from 15 September 2014, will initially comprise up to 10,000 military personnel, including 240 military observers and 200 staff officers, as well as 1,800 police personnel.

Further, the Council has requested Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to incorporate the presence of the UN Integrated Peacebuilding Office in the Central African Republic (BINUCA) into MINUSCA and to ensure “a seamless transition” from one entity to the other.

"I think we are now in a phase where we will work hard to ramp up MINUSCA, building on the excellent work that had already been the Special Representative of the Secretary-General Gaye [in] BINUCA,” said Mr. Ladsous.

The new mission will aim to protect civilians and facilitate humanitarian access in the war-torn country, and Mr. Ladsous said the shift from a political office to a peacekeeping operation would enhance the UN capacities on the ground, including through the deployment of civilian teams, as well as military and police components.

"[MINUSCA's aim] is therefore to create safe conditions for significant improvement in the situation. It will help restore [State authority] and its various institutions. It is also to help with a political process…and national reconciliation," he added.

"We will spare no efforts…and I think we have the desire to work with all stakeholders in the international community, with our partners in the African Union, in the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), and major regional actors, all in a unity of vision, "Mr. Ladsous declared, adding that the CAR Government must also play a key role in easing the crisis.

255 Pakistani troops depart for peacekeeping

255 PAKISTANI TROOPS DEPART FOR PEACEKEEPING

LAHORE - A batch of 255 Pakistan Army troops departed for Congo to perform peace-keeping duties under the aegis of United Nations Mission.

Brigadier Bilal Javaid bade them farewell at the Allama Iqbal International Airport on Sunday.

The departing troops will replace the already deployed Pakistan Army Contingent in the war-ravaged country as part of relieve and rotation schedule.

Speaking to troops, Brigadier Bilal Javaid said that Pakistan Army had added glorious chapters in the history of peace-keeping by rendering dedicated services for the restoration of peace all over the globe.

He urged the troops that they were embarking on a noble assignment as ambassadors of their country.

The Pakistani peace-keepers are serving in war ravaged Congo since the last eight years. The Pakistani contingent has earned acclaim for successfully restoring secure and stable environments in the strife torn country.

French troops in Central African Republic escort Muslims to safety

FRENCH TROOPS IN CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC ESCORT MUSLIMS TO SAFETY

A Reuters witness said 102 Muslims guarded by 150 French troops, supported by a helicopter patrolling overhead, left the northern suburb of PK-12 on Sunday in trucks for Bambari, about 300 km (190 miles) northeast of the capital.

Almost all Muslims have fled Bangui since the Muslim Seleka rebels, who seized power in March 2013, were forced to step aside in January. The United Nations has since reported a "cleansing" of Muslims from the country's west.

Inter-communal violence has gripped Central African Republic since late 2012 when a battle for power degenerated into violence between Muslims and Christians that have forced about 1 million people from their homes.

Almost 200,000 people have fled the country since December with a further 160,000 are expected to this year.

There was no violence during the journey to Bambari, a town effectively controlled by Seleka in the centre of the country. But the fact that the Muslims went there is a sign of growing de facto partition of Central African Republic.

"I'm going to stay in Bambari. Once the country calms down I'll go back (to Bangui) but if it doesn't calm down I'll remain here," one girl in the convoy told Reuters.

The convoy passed through a Christian neighborhood of the capital where anti-Balaka forces that have conducted much of the violence against Muslims are a powerful force.

"We don't want the Muslims to stay in Bambari ... They need to get out and go directly to Chad. That's what we want," said an anti-Balaka fighter who identified himself as Paterne.

The United Nations Security Council this month authorized a 12,000-strong U.N. peacekeeping mission to be deployed in September, recognition that the 6,000 African and 2,000 French peacekeepers already there have failed to stamp their authority on the country.

Security Council has approved 10000 troops and almost 2000 police for Central African Republic (CAR)

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon

SECURITY COUNCIL HAS APPROVED 10,000 TROOPS AND ALMOST 2,000 POLICE FOR CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC (CAR)

The Secretary-General of United Nations Ban Ki-Moon said there is a hole in the heart of Africa because of the atrocities that have been committed in the nations.

Therefore, the Security Council has approved my proposal to deploy a United Nations peacekeeping mission to the Central African Republic (CAR) opening the way for 10,000 troops and almost 2,000 police to bring a semblance of order to a nation in ruins.

I have just returned from a visit to the country to see the situation firsthand. Desperate is an understatement. More than half the population of the Texas-sized country need life-saving assistance. One out of four Central Africans has been uprooted from their homes.

At makeshift camps I visited at the airport outside the capital city of Bangui, as many as 500 people share one toilet. Conditions will only get worse with the onset of the rainy season.

“Who would accept to live here?” one woman cried out to me.

“But we are risking our lives to live where we lived.”

The majority of the country’s Muslim community has fled the country, escaping a brutal wave of sectarian strife that has claimed innocents on all sides. Atrocity crimes continue. The justice system has crumbled. Ethno-religious cleansing is a reality. Whole communities have been dismantled.

Despite the many deprivations, the commodity that the CAR lacks most is time. The peacekeeping mission will take at least six months to get up and running. Meanwhile the country’s people are caught in a daily struggle for survival.

I travelled to the CAR on my way to mark the 20th anniversary of the Rwanda genocide. In Rwanda, I expressed my profound sadness for the international community’s inaction during that country’s hour of need.

But what of crises on our watch?

Will the international community act now instead of apologizing in 20 years for not doing what was needed when we had the chance?

Will national leaders heed the lessons of the past and prevent another Rwanda in our time?

In the center of one of Bangui’s hardest-hit neighborhoods, we drove past block after block of the concrete carcasses of shops and homes. We passed a sea of trucks filled far beyond capacity with pots, pans, water jugs, the last possessions of a population on the run.

Women and men shared harrowing tales of sexual violence, kidnapping and constant threats on their lives. Now they are virtual prisoners desperate only for escape. They told me how schools, hospitals, even cemeteries are off-limits. As one person lamented, “We can’t even help our dead.”

Now is the time to help the living. That requires fast-track action on three fronts.

First, security. African Union and French forces are working hard to restore peace and security. The European Union force that began hitting the ground this week is a welcome addition. But they need reinforcements to contain the violence and protect civilians.

I have called for the immediate deployment of 3,000 more troops and police who would lay the groundwork for the future UN peacekeeping mission.

Second, the government needs help with the very basics — including getting police, judges and prison guards back on the job.

Interim President Catherine Samba-Panza is committed to restoring state authority. But with no budget, her abilities are sharply constrained.

Funding for humanitarian aid is also falling short with only 20 per cent of pledges received.  Third, since the new peacekeeping operation can be only part of the solution, establishing an inclusive political process is crucial. Community and religious leaders are fundamental to promoting tolerance, non-violence and dialogue.

Accountability for horrendous crimes is central to peace. The people of the CAR must see that the rule of law matters no matter who they are or what they believe, from leaders to individual combatants.  These are essential building blocks for reconciliation and ensuring that refugees and the internally displaced can return to their homes and communities.

The alternative is a de facto partition that would lay the seeds of conflict and instability in the fragile heart of Africa for years, perhaps generations. During my visit, a leader of a women’s peace group said, “Our social fabric is in shreds. The bonds of our communities have broken. There is nothing to connect us. But you represent the world and you are here. Now we know we are a part of the world.”

I appreciated her trust but I know we need action to earn it.

The CAR is blessed with abundant resources and fertile land. For generations, it has been a crossroads of cultures where different communities have lived peacefully.

It is up to the international community to prove through deeds that the people of the CAR are indeed part of our common humanity and shared future. A little help will go a long way. We have a collective responsibility to act now instead of expressing regrets twenty years later.