Should it be France to intervene in the CAR?

In 2007, I religiously followed the public hearings as a group that has come to be known the ‘Mucyo Commission’ collected evidence on the role of France in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. Among the key exhibits that came up during these sessions were photos showing French soldiers playing volleyball on a mass grave at the current Murambi Genocide Memorial in Nyamagabe District. These photos had also been published in a French newspaper. The soldiers were part of what was called Operation Tourqouise, a mission exclusively composed of French troops deployed in Rwanda at the height of the Genocide - with a green-light from the UN. The operation would later serve the opposite, as testimonies from survivors of the infamous Bisesero Massacre have come to show, but that is not my story for this column. French officials this week announced from different corners of the world, that France is sending a contingent of troops to quell the brewing humanitarian catastrophe in the Central African Republic (CAR). France already maintains about 400 or so troops in this country and they are in charge of protecting the country’s major airport in the capital Bangui and other strategic infrastructure. The CAR, for the most of this year, has sunk from turmoil to turmoil following the coup by a coalition of rebel groups calling itself Seleka that ousted President François Bozize. Since the coup, which saw Seleka leader Michel Djotodia, a Muslim, declaring himself president, the situation in country has deteriorated into further abyss, with the escalating persecution of Christians by the victorious Muslim rebels. Indeed, Djotodia has failed to reign in on his men and the first call he made when he wanted the errant rebels brought to order was to Champs Elysee, to have French paratroopers contain the situation, which observers say could spiral into genocide. I do not want to be misunderstood, I am not calling for the world to look on while the 4.5 million Central Africans continue to suffer; it is to the contrary. According to the United Nations estimates, 400,000 people have been displaced and 68,000 have fled to neighbouring countries due to the escalating violence, it is only getting worse. My problem is having the French having to fly tens of thousands of kilometres away to come and save the Central Africans. The big question is where is the African Union which just the other day marked 50 years of existence? Wouldn’t Djotodia’s call have been to Addis rather than Paris? Is it because he is leading an illegitimate government, having presided over a coup, and then the poor people should not be helped by their fellow Africans? We all know what kind of assistance that is provided by the Berets Rouge if we are to go by the account at the beginning of this article, which makes me wonder why there are no mechanisms at the regional level, to make sure that such situations are arrested in their infancy. Several African countries are still grappling the effects of interference in national and local matters by their colonial masters. It is such interventions that give them leeway that ends up doing more harm than good. It’s high time African-led options are put in motion and expedited. For half a decade now, the concept of an African Standby Force has somewhat remained on paper; yes we have seen meetings on this, including planned regional brigades that will be consolidated into a continental force but where is it? Tuesday, French ambassador to the UN Gerard Araud circulated a UN resolution drafted by his government, which would give a six-month mandate for French troops and the African-led International Support Mission (MISCA) to restore order, protect civilians, and rebuild state authority. The French officials have said that the deployment of their troops would be as early as next week, and I bet the search for African troops to join them could take the six months- the mandate of the mission, if the resolution is adopted in its current form. This kind of scenarios only serve to legitimise the kind of indispensability that the West continues to exude on the continent. Louis de Guiringaud, a former French foreign minister said in 1978, “Africa is the only region of the world where France can take itself for a great power, capable of changing the course of history with 500 men.” It’s 2013 – thirty five years later - things should surely be different. The writer is an Editor at The New Times Twitter: @kimenyif

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Should it be France to intervene in the CAR?