15/02/2014 09:31
At least 500 EU troops heading to Central African Republic
The European Union committed Friday to sending 500 troops to the tumultuous Central African Republic -- a number that the coalition is "looking" to double, according to its foreign policy chief, CNN reported.
The announcement from the EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton came after her address to the U.N. Security Council and after France announced it will send 400 additional troops to its former colony.
Already, France, an EU member, has deployed 1,600 personnel there to support African Union troops following a U.N. Security Council vote in December authorizing military intervention.
In late January, the Security Council voted to not only continue its peacekeeping mission in the war-weary African nation but to authorize the use of force by EU troops there -- setting the stage for Friday's announcement by Ashton.
The Central African Republic plunged into chaos last year after a coalition of rebels dubbed Seleka ousted President Francois Bozize, in the latest in a series of coups since the country gained independence in 1960.
Rebels infiltrated the capital in March, sending Bozize fleeing to Cameroon. One of the Seleka's leaders, Michel Djotodia, then seized power only to step down as President in January after failing to halt the escalating violence.
Catherine Samba-Panza, the mayor of Bangui, was recently tapped as the country's interim President.
Still, the climate is volatile.
The United Nations recently pointed to an "increasing cycle of violence and retaliation" and the "continuing deterioration of the security situation."
Seleka is a predominantly Muslim coalition, and to counter the attacks on Christian communities, vigilante Christian groups have fought back.
The United Nations -- estimating more than half the country's population is affected by the worsening humanitarian crisis -- has said it fears genocide brewing.
According to the United Nations, more than 700,000 people across the Central African Republic have been displaced -- including about 290,000 alone in the capital of Bangui -- and 2.6 million "need immediate humanitarian assistance."