Rwanda is in the final preparations to deploy a battalion of peacekeepers to the war-torn Central African Republic (CAR) in the next ten days, the Foreign affairs minister has said.

Louise Mushikiwabo told journalists yesterday that the imminent deployment of the about 800 troops follows a request from the African Union.

"AU asked us to send troops to CAR and we agreed. The issues in CAR are complex but as Rwanda, a country taking part in several peacekeeping missions, it is our policy to contribute to global peacekeeping,” said Mushikiwabo, who doubles as Government spokesperson.

Rwanda was the first country to deploy peacekeepers in Darfur, Sudan where it now maintains 3,212 troops under the Hybrid UN-AU mission, known as Unamid.

"Our troops will arrive in CAR in about ten days. They are currently being briefed about the terrain, the conflict and the language spoken in CAR,” she said. We are yet to release specific details of who will command the force.”

Rwanda also maintains more than 850 officers and men and an Aviation Unit of 119 personnel under the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).

The country also deploys more than 80 military observers, staff officers and liaison officers in Unamid, UNMISS and the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA).

Also, Rwanda’s Gen. John Bosco Kazura is the Force Commander of La Mission multidimensionnelle intégrée des Nations Unies pour la stabilisation au Mali (Minusma), a UN force based in Mali.

Last year, seven Rwandan soldiers died in several foreign missions away from home, according to information from the RDF.

Inside CAR conflict

The Central African Republic has for a decade been trapped in civil wars, violence and coups, sometimes driven by religious differences.

The conflict has forced about one million people to flee their homes while more than two million others are in need of humanitarian assistance, the UN said on Monday.

The latest crisis followed the overthrow of then president Francois Bozize by the Seleka coalition nearly a year ago, resulting in the installation of the country’s first Muslim president, Michel Djotoda.

A transitional government has since been entrusted with restoring peace and paving way for democratic elections, but armed clashes and violence have persisted.

Upon taking power, Djotoda ordered former Seleka rebels to disband, but many instead went on rampage with violent attacks against civilians, especially Christians, which prompted the formation of self-defence vigilante groups, according to reports.

Around 50 per cent of the country’s 5 million people are Christians, while 15 per cent are Muslims.

The worsening humanitarian crisis has seen the country’s Muslim-Christian overtone risks escalating into sustained violence along religious lines.

The crisis has led to the deployment of AU and French forces to prevent further violence.

The United Nations is planning to hold a joint donor summit with the African Union on February 1 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to help the AU force raise the required strength of 6,000 troops.

France, the former colonial master of CAR, deployed 1,600 troops last December to support the African Union mission in the country.

Chadian and Burundian forces are among those that have already deployed in the strife-torn nation.

Prolonged crisis

CAR has largely been unstable since independence in 1960, including during the reign of Jean-Bedel Bokassa, from 1966 to 1979. Bokassa served as president for 11 years and later as a self-proclaimed emperor for almost three years.

He was toppled in 1979 by David Dacko in a French-backed military coup. Dacko’s reign lasted for only two years. He was also overthrown in a counter coup by Andre Kolingba in 1981. Kolingba’s reign ended in October 1993.

Kolingba introduced multi-party presidential elections in CAR but the move was rejected. He was later succeeded by Ange-Felix Patasse, who ruled until 2003.

Like most of his predecessors, Patasse’s regime was characterised by violence and riots, reportedly fuelled by unpaid soldiers.

In 1997, opposition to Patasse’s rule worsened. There were fears of a power vacuum which compelled France to finance a peacekeeping force which later came to be known as UN Mission to the Central African Republic (MINURCA).

Patasse won a re-election in 1999 but four years later, in 2003, one of his soldiers, Gen. François Bozize, led an army of insurgents that toppled him.

Patasse fled into exile in Togo. Widespread proliferation of illegal weapons across the country ensued, resulting into ten years of unrest in which thousands died while millions were displaced.

The birth of Séléka

Later, between 2004 and 2007, a number of rebel forces sprung up with the aim of overthrowing the government. They included the Union of Democratic Forces for Unity (UFDR), the Convention of Patriots for Justice and Peace (CPJP), Patriotic Convention for Saving the Country (CPSK), Democratic Front of the Central African People (FDPC) and the Chadian group Popular Front for Recovery (FPR) among others.

Later, these forces merged and formed a loose coalition known as Séléka. In 2007, a peace deal was signed between Bozize’s government and the rebels but Séléka later launched an offensive and seized 12 strategic cities, including a diamond mining base in Bria and the Bambari city located in the north.

Their argument was that the Bozizé administration had failed to uphold the terms of peace deals signed in 2007, 2008 and 2011, under which former combatants were to be given economic opportunities, including jobs and compensation for delayed salaries.

By then, it was hard for the government to maintain power outside the capital. The Chadian soldiers entered CAR to help Bozize neutralise the rebels.

Some progress towards stabilising the country was registered between 2008 and 2012, before the new Seleka rebel alliance marched south and overran the capital in March 2013 under the command of Michel Djotodia, ousting President Bozize.

With a 5,000-strong force, Djotodia seized power and immediately suspended the Constitution, dissolved Parliament, and announced he would rule by decree.

He promised to relinquish power after elections scheduled for 2016, and to abide by the spirit of the power-sharing agreement signed in the Gabonese capital, Libreville in January. Djotodia also pledged to review existing contracts with foreign mining companies.

In response to the coup, the African Union suspended the country’s membership and imposed sanctions on Djotodia and other Séléka leaders.

Later, Djotodia was inaugurated as the country’s first Muslim leader. His leadership started off on a bad note as many former rebels were being accused of rape and lootings.

That led to fatal rivalries and battles between Muslim renegades and Christian vigilantes and the two groups have since been accused of hundreds of deaths and displacement of civilians.

According to United Nations, CAR has 95 per cent of its population living on less than $2 (about Rwf1, 300) a day.

UN also indicates that, with 200,000 people internally displaced, farming has been disrupted leading to food insecurity.

In recent years, there has been a growing push for regional blocs and the international community to intervene in CAR.

Rwandans back deployment

Observers say Rwanda’s imminent contribution to efforts to pacify CAR would be significant given its history and reputable experience in peacekeeping mission. 

Prof. Omar Khalfan, a lecturer in International Relations at the University of Rwanda, said: "As a country that suffered the worst genocide of the 21st century, Rwanda vowed never to see innocent lives being taken in brutal conflicts and this is probably the reason it is deploying in CAR.  I think it is a worthwhile undertaking.”

For Prof. Peter Rwanyindo, the Director of Institute of Research and Dialogue for Peace, Rwanda’s "outstanding performance” in different peacekeeping missions around the world over the last 10 years gives the country a great deal of experience and confidence.

He described as a "noble decision” Kigali’s positive response to requests to help restore calm in CAR.

Long serving MP Juliana Kantengwa pointed out that Rwanda’s deployment to CAR is timely.

"You cannot just walk into a country to contribute to peacekeeping, there are diplomatic and logistical requirements, and that is why Rwanda did not deploy when violence started to escalate. From our experience, peace keeping is a cause worth dying for,” she said.

Jeanne d’Arc Gakuba, one of the two vice presidents of the Senate, also backed the impending deployment.

"We suffered; our people were killed as the world looked on. We cried out for help but no one came to our rescue.  We cannot afford to watch other people go through the pain we went through. We know the value of human life, we must play our rightful role to help make a difference,” Gakuba said.

She expressed optimism that CAR will soon recover from violence and become a safe country. "Our forces should go in there and also help educate the population about unity, good governance and development. Their mission is not just about safety, but also to ensure that they leave the people in a better situation,” Gakuba added.