BANGUI, (Reuters) – French President Francois Hollande told the Central African Republic yesterday that his troops would work to stop the country splitting in two and endeavour to disarm rival fighters engaged in months of inter-religious killing.
Arriving in the capital Bangui from Nigeria, where he attended unification celebrations, Hollande met the interim president, religious leaders and addressed French troops.
“We need to stop score-settling, establish the authority of government, allow it to engage in dialogue and avoid any temptation to partition the east of the Central African Republic,” Hollande told French soldiers in a helicopter hangar at the airport in Bangui.
France sent troops four months ago to the majority Christian country where predominantly Muslim Seleka rebels seized power last March and have since been pushed back by Christian “anti-balaka” – “anti-machete” in the local Sango language – militia. Its force now numbers some 2,000 soldiers.
France’s parliament voted on Tuesday to extend the mission, despite tepid support at home for a military operation in the former French colony where thousands of people have been killed and around a million forced from their homes.
Thousands of Muslims have fled northeast from the capital towards the border with Chad, creating a de facto division of the country which the U.N. human rights chief has said now faces “ethnic-religious cleansing”.
In addition to French troops, 6,000 African Union peacekeepers (MISCA) are also deployed and up to 1,000 EU soldiers are still to arrive.
However, speaking in Geneva after two months in charge of civilian protection for the United Nations in Bangui, Philippe Leclerc said there were still not enough troops on the ground and the lack of security was forcing the evacuation of civilians, contributing to the ethnic cleansing.
“When the situation of the people who are escaping is so difficult, the U.N. has no other possibility than trying to evacuate them to safer places or ensure safe passage to places that they believe are safe,” Leclerc said.
Despite improved security in Bangui since the French troops arrived, the Red Cross said more than 10 people had been killed in the capital this week, with some bodies found mutilated, with their genitals stuffed into their mouths.
