The UN Security Council on Tuesday gave European troops backing to use force in Central African Republic amid a new international push to end deadly chaos in the country. The United Nations believes at least 10,000 troops will eventually be needed to restore order, France’s UN ambassador said after the latest UN Security Council initiative on the crisis. The 15-nation council unanimously backed a resolution that allows a proposed European Union contingent to use “all necessary force” to protect civilians caught in 10 months of strife since rebels seized power. The European Union agreed last week to send up to 600 troops to back just over 3,500 African Union and 1,600 French troops already battling to end clashes between Muslim and Christian groups in Central African Republic. Resolution 2134 also allows for sanctions against the ringleaders of groups blamed for massacres and human rights abuses, but did not name initial targets for an asset freeze and travel ban. It called on Central African Republic’s interim government to speed up moves toward new elections. A transitional accord between rival groups set a deadline of February next year for elections. The council said polls should be held in the second half of 2014 if possible. Rebels ousted Central African Republic’s longtime president in March last year, but an interim government lost control of the country while animosity between the Christian and Muslim communities have added a deadly twist to events. France’s UN ambassador Gerard Araud said the resolution was “a new milestone” in efforts to help Central African Republic out of the strife in which thousands are feared killed and more than 900,000 people have fled their homes. He said while international forces are “starting to stabilise” events, the country remains in “very, very dire” condition. According to Araud, the EU troops will protect Bangui airport, which has turned into a giant camp for some 100,000 civilians, and protect humanitarian convoys. This he said would “free” French forces to go into the city where lynchings and lootings are still reported and into the provinces. France, however, is leading a push for the United Nations to take over the international forces already in the country. The African Union stabilisation force, officially known as Misca, is meant to grow to 6,000 troops but Araud said it was now recognised as “too low because, frankly, the situation is dire and the country is huge. “The (UN) secretariat is really thinking that at least 10,000 soldiers are necessary,” he added. He also said there were problems finding finance for MISCA. UN leader Ban Ki-moon is to report to the Security Council at the end of February on the next stage of international military efforts to help Central African Republic. Council diplomats said the African Union has demanded that Misca be given a year to prove its worth. They added, however, that a UN force now seems inevitable even though there would be disputes over its mandate and financing. The French and African troops have started efforts to disarm and return many of the rebels to barracks. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) said after being blocked at the Cameroon border for several weeks, 10 trucks carrying food supplies had completed the 600 kilometer (360 mile) trip to Bangui on Monday.
