CAR ‘descending into chaos’– United Nations

Bangui. The Central African Republic (CAR) is descending into “complete chaos”, the UN deputy secretary general has warned, calling for urgent action.Jan Eliasson urged the Security Council to strengthen the African Union-led force in the country, and to turn it into a UN peacekeeping operation.The CAR has been in turmoil since rebels seized power in March, with warnings of a possible genocide.France has said it would contribute about 1,000 troops to the force. Senior UN and French officials have warned that a cycle of violence between the Muslim minority, now in power, and the Christian majority could become a genocide.More than 200,000 people have been displaced by the conflict.In Bossangoa, one of the worst-hit areas about 300km (185 miles) north of the capital Bangui, tens of thousands have sought refuge at the Catholic mission.The priest in charge, Frederic Tonfio, told the BBC: “The tension here is palpable. People are absolutely terrified.”Mr Eliasson said there had been an surge in sexual violence, torture, summary executions and sectarian violence.“The CAR is becoming a breeding ground for extremists and armed groups in a region that is already suffering from conflict and instability,” he said.“If this situation is left to fester, it may develop into a religious and ethnic conflict with long-standing consequences, even a civil war that could spread into neighbouring countries.” Some of CAR’s neighbours such as South Sudan, the Sudanese region of Darfur, Chad and the Democratic Republic of Congo are trying to emerge from years of conflict and remain extremely unstable.France, the former colonial power, currently has about 400 soldiers stationed in Bangui. Their mission is to protect French nationals.On Tuesday, Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian announced that France would send another 1,000 troops to the CAR.“We cannot have a country fall apart like that,” he told Europe 1 radio: “There is the violence, massacres and humanitarian chaos that follow a collapse.”He added that - as was the case of France’s intervention in Mali earlier this year- the troops would be deployed for “a short period, in the range of six months”. The UN Security Council is expected next week to adopt a resolution authorising the deployment of African Union troops with French support in the impoverished nation.“A country in the heart of Africa is descending into complete chaos before our eyes,” Mr Eliasson told the 15-member council on Monday. “The situation requires prompt and decisive action.”Earlier this month, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said communal violence in the CAR risked spiralling out of control.