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UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs |
CAR: France provides military help to restore security in the north
BANGUI, 13 Jul 2006 (IRIN) - France is to provide military assistance to help the Central African Republic (CAR) restore peace and security in its troubled northern region. The area has endured months of attacks by armed groups as well as counter-attacks by government forces.
"The assistance will be available in days to come," said Jacques Schwartz, first counsellor of the French embassy, said on Wednesday in the CAR capital, Bangui.
Four French jet fighters flew over Bangui on Thursday.
The CAR defence ministry announced on Tuesday that France would provide military personnel and logistics support to help the national army deal with the rebellion in the north. The aid includes a C-130 cargo aircraft to transport heavy military equipment from Bangui to the affected area.
The ministry added that senior French army officers would also be deployed in the CAR to help with planning operations on the ground. The ministry's communiqué added that French jet fighters would be used to locate the armed groups in the northwest. But the number of French soldiers and jet fighters expected in the country was not specified.
The communication adviser to the CAR head of state, Guy Roger Moskit, told IRIN on Wednesday that French military aid would increase the CAR army's capacity in battling the armed groups.
"This important assistance by France will help push the armed groups operating in the prefecture of Vakaga out of the national territory," Moskit said.
He added that France's decision to help the CAR was made after the United Nations Security Council on 7 July condemned the attacks in Vakaga.
He claimed the northern part of the country was occupied by foreign troops. "We don't know who they are and where they come from but the military operations with the support of France will restore security in the country," he added.
Although the defence ministry's communiqué did not state when the French aid would arrive, military sources in Bangui said some French troops were already in the capital, awaiting transport to the troubled area. "Some of the French troops involved in the operations in the north can be seen driving around," said an army captain who requested anonymity.
The French military aid comes after months of unrest in northern CAR. The insecurity started in the north-western town of Markounda in September 2005 and has since spread to the whole northern part of the country and to parts of the east where suspected foreign troops are reported to have occupied the towns of Tiringulu and Gordil. Thousands of civilians have subsequently fled the north.
According to the CAR office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, at least 40,000 civilians have sought refuge in neighbouring Chad while 50,000 others are internally displaced - hiding in the bush to escape violence by armed groups or regular troops.
Past military operations by the regular army and troops of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC) to secure the north have failed as the armed groups are well equipped. An attack on 26 June by armed groups in the north killed 14 CAR soldiers and two from CEMAC.
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This material comes to you via IRIN, a UN humanitarian information unit, but may not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations or its agencies. If you re-print, copy, archive or re-post this item, please retain this credit and disclaimer. Quotations or extracts should include attribution to the original sources. All materials copyright © UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 2006
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