adminThe UN Security Council has unanimously approved the creation of a UN peacekeeping force in the Central African Republic to try to stop violence between Christians and Muslims that has threatened to spiral into genocide. The force, authorised by the 15-member council on Thursday, will be known as MINUSCA and will be made up of up to 10,000 troops, 1,800 police and 20 correction officers.
The UN operation will assume authority on September 15 from the African Union’s 5,600-strong MISCA force, which was deployed in December.
The council wants the UN force to include “as many MISCA military and police personnel as possible”, reported the Associated Press news agency.
The resolution also authorises French troops in the landlocked former French colony to use “all necessary means” to support UN peacekeepers.
Speaking to Al Jazeera from London, Amnesty International’s Christian Mukosa said, “the big issue is how to fit the gap between now and September”.
“This is why we think the UN must ensure that the African Union forces and the French forces are well equipped and have enough logistical support to protect civilians,” he added. — AFP
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