France bolsters troops in Central Africa

[troung]

France bolsters troops in Central Africa

PARIS - France has bolstered its presence in the Central African Republic with 100 more troops following rebel attacks and growing concern over the neighboring Darfur region of Sudan, a military official said Thursday.

The reinforcements in recent days bring the number of French troops in Central African Republic to 300, said armed forces spokesman Christophe Prazuck.

He cited the security situation in the country, with rebels attacking in the north, which borders both Chad and Sudan's violent Darfur region, where an ethnic conflict rages amid a major humanitarian crisis with millions of inhabitants displaced.

The U.N. Security Council said late Wednesday that it was "deeply concerned" about the security situation in the Central African Republic following attacks on three towns.

It noted that Central African Republic forces were "unable to repel the armed groups in the northern and northeastern parts of the country," and said that border instability threatened the country and its neighbors.

The French troops are to support Central African forces and a regional force which includes troops from Chad, Gabon and Congo, Prazuck said.

The International Federation of the League of Human Rights says that rebels have taken the northern towns of Birao and Ouadda-Djalle and are approaching Bria, 375 miles north of Bangui, the Central African Republic capital.

The federation asked the Security Council to call for an immediate cease-fire and to send a U.N. intervention force to secure borders with Sudan and Chad.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061124/.../france_africa

[troung]

France sends more troops to CAR after rebel attacks

PARIS (Reuters) - France has sent around 100 extra troops to the Central African Republic after a series of rebel attacks in the poor, landlocked country, which borders Sudan's violent Darfur region, the French military said on Thursday.

ADVERTISEMENTViolence in Darfur, where tens of thousands of civilians have been killed in ethnic conflict since 2003, has spread to neighboring Central African Republic and Chad.

The two countries have both accused Sudan of supporting militias who have crossed the border from Darfur to attack and in some cases occupy villages. Sudan has repeatedly denied the accusations.

"Given the situation in CAR (Central African Republic), the Boali detachment of roughly 200 men has been reinforced in the past days with the equivalent of one company, or around 100 men," French armed forces spokesman Christophe Prazuck said, referring to a contingent in the country.

He said the French troops, which were mainly based in the capital, Bangui, would support Central African Republic forces and a regional force sent by regional bloc CEMAC.

"Their main roles are providing logistical support for these forces, support in terms of intelligence and assistance in the planning and conduct of operations," Prazuck added.

France is providing similar assistance in Chad, where it has land and air forces stationed permanently.

Rebels crossed the border from Darfur into Central African Republic in late October and seized the northeastern town of Birau. They demanded talks with the government, and threatened to advance on the eastern diamond mining town of Bria.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061123/...rica_france_dc

[troung]

30 November, 2006
French planes attack CAR rebels
(BBC)
French fighter planes have fired at rebels in northern Central African Republic (CAR) where thousands have fled fighting in recent weeks.

French Mirages attacked rebel positions in Ouadda and N'Dele in support of government forces.

A rebel spokesman told the BBC that five of his fighters had been killed. It is the second time this week that French forces have fought the rebels.

The UN has warned CAR's conflict is linked with fighting in Chad and Sudan.

CAR shares its northern borders with the two countries, which have been plagued by insecurity since trouble erupted in Sudan's western Darfur region in 2003.

Earlier this month, France promised to provide logistics and intelligence to CAR in their struggle against rebels who have recently seized several towns.

The government says the Union of Democratic Forces for Unity (UFDR) rebels are operating from Darfur with the support of the Sudanese authorities.

The BBC's Joseph Benamse in Bangui says France recently added 100 troops to its 200 soldiers stationed in CAR.

Under bilateral accords, France's military provides logistical and intelligence support to some of its former colonies in Africa.

The UFDR rebels say they are fighting against corruption and mismanagement under President Francois Bozize, who seized power in a 2003 coup.

The United Nations says 46,000 people have crossed over to neighbouring Chad because of the unrest and another 90,000 are internally displaced within eastern CAR.

[-{SpoonmaN}-]

Two words: Legion Etranger.
I kinda wish more major countries would try the same model, it gives them the ability to fight politically "cheap" actions that avoid fickle, and in my opinion, moronic public outcry about "their" soldiers dying for "someone else's" war. Maybe one day the EU itself will have something similar, like my idea for a supra-national Military on top of the national ones.
Maybe if we're really luck the UN will get to have one. Then again, since when were we lucky, and since when would we let the UN actually work to the best of its abilities, that would take away an excuse politcians can use to cover their own asses.

[troung]

Most of the Legion is French. Off the top of my head most French troops overseas are not in the Legion but in the Troupas De Marines.

[PubFather]

Most of the Legion is French. Off the top of my head most French troops overseas are not in the Legion but in the Troupas De Marines.

Still an interesting idea. A true European foreign legion - a mercenary force built from various nationalities, many of them non-EU. Turks, Indians, Africans etc - give them decent rates of pay, recruit the hardened mother-killers combined with the best NCO's that Europe can supply, the toughest training and some decent weapons.

Then turn them loose on tinpot dictators.... No one would care if they died in the attempt... :)

[sappersgt]

Sierra Leone

Still an interesting idea. A true European foreign legion - a mercenary force built from various nationalities, many of them non-EU. Turks, Indians, Africans etc - give them decent rates of pay, recruit the hardened mother-killers combined with the best NCO's that Europe can supply, the toughest training and some decent weapons.

Then turn them loose on tinpot dictators.... No one would care if they died in the attempt... :)

They already had one, it was called Executive Outcomes...

No seriously, it sounds like a good idea. The UN Police force already has officers deployed under their own commanders. How about expanding the UN Police academies into a training center(s) for a military force. They are already training police officers from a multitude of countries.

Call it the Legion Nationales Unities (pardon my bad French). That way if something goes wrong we can always blame the French.

[troung]

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L04719134.htm

French jets fired on Central African Republic rebels
04 Dec 2006 18:39:22 GMT
Source: Reuters

PARIS, Dec 4 (Reuters) - French fighter jets opened fire on rebel positions in the Central African Republic on several occasions at the weekend and are providing daily support to government troops, the French defence ministry said on Monday.

French Mirage fighters "again intervened several times during the weekend" as part of a policy of daily and constant support for government forces, French military staff spokesman Christophe Prazuck said. The French military is also offering tactical advice to government forces, Prazuck said.

An offensive by government troops around the northeastern towns of Ouada and Ndele has met resistance from the forces of the Union of Democratic Forces for Unity, who have demanded that President Francois Bozize agree to power-sharing talks. France has around 300 troops in the Central African Republic under a 2003 military accord, and has six Mirage F1 jets based in the capital of neighbouring Chad providing air support.


-----------------------
One GCP paratrooper was wounded.

[troung]

http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?s...5233707981C600

Army continues to push back CAR rebels

December 04 2006 at 02:31PM

By Joseph Benamsse

Rebels in Central African Republic have retreated from another north-eastern town in the face of advancing government troops, leaving them with just one stronghold.

A rebel leader confirmed the retreat from Ndele on Monday. It was first announced on state radio Sunday afternoon.

Presidential spokesman Barthelemy Feidoka said the recapture of Ndele followed fierce fighting between rebels and the army. He did not provide any casualty figures.

Diego Albator Yao, who is in charge of the rebels' military operations, denied any clashes, saying rebels left before the army arrived.

"We decided to leave before the coming of government forces to avoid air strikes on civilians," Yao said by telephone from an undisclosed location. The rebels have accused government forces of attacking and raping civilians as they advance and demanded an investigation by the international community.

Government officials have refused to reply to the accusations.

The recapture of Ndele leaves the rebels in control of one town, Ouadda-Djalle, out of the handful they captured since starting a campaign toward the capital, Bangui, in late October.

France has helped the government, adding 100 troops to its 200 soldiers in Central African Republic. The French forces are also working to secure the country's borders with Chad and Sudan out of concern that conflicts there are spilling over.

Last week, Ndele came under fire from French fighter jets and, according to Yao, attack helicopters. French officials confirmed only the plane strikes.

Yao said the rebel fighters have retreated into the bush surrounding the towns they were controlling and plan to launch a counter-offense once French troops leave.

The government says the rebels are backed by Sudan, a claim Sudan and the rebels have denied.

Central African Republic's 3.6 million people have lived through a series of coups and army mutinies since independence from France in 1960. Unrest in Sudan's Darfur region, which neighbors the
country, has added to instability.

President Francois Bozize seized power after leading a rebel army that captured the capital in 2003. Bozize toppled ex-President Ange-Felix Patasse then went on to win elections in May 2005.

The rebels have accused Bozize's government of corruption and favoring certain ethnic groups over others. They've demanded an audience with top officials, which the administration has refused. - Sapa-AP

[troung]

France admits air raids on Darfur neighbours


France yesterday defended recent fighter jet raids on towns bordering Sudan's Darfur region by claiming the aggressive action was aimed at preventing regional chaos.

In the past two weeks, with minimal publicity, Mirage F1 jets have attacked and scattered a rebellion in north-eastern Central African Republic (CAR). But reports from the ground say the operation has had a devastating impact on civilians.

A French Defence Ministry spokesman said the action - which included regular Mirage sorties in neighbouring Chad where tens of thousands of refugees from Darfur are living - was in line with international calls to stabilise the region.

He claimed that without action there was a danger of a "Somalisation" of the region."We want to ensure that the Darfur crisis does not take on a further dimension. The region is crucial if we want to put a peace force in Darfur," he said.

After opposition from the Sudanese President Omar El Beshir, plans to send 20,000 United Nations peacekeepers to Darfur have been axed. Mr Beshir will only accept a beefed-up African Union force with UN logistical support.

The French operations in CAR have been centred on repelling rebels which the government claims are - like the Darfur militias - backed by the Sudanese regime. Others say the rebels of the Union des Forces Démocratiques pour le Rassemblement (UFDR) are disgruntled allies of CAR President François Bozizé who helped him come to power in a 2003 coup and are dissatisfied with his ruling of the country along ethnic lines. Both the rebels and Sudan deny they have any links.
In early November, the UFDR took the north-eastern town of Birao, which has a population of 30,000 people, as well as Ouadda-Djalle and Sam Ouandja.

President Bozizé asked for French help and Paris added 100 troops to the 200 already stationed in the country. These, including paratroopers, are on the ground with the CAR army and with Fomuc - soldiers brought in from regional allies Chad and Gabon.

According to the UFDR, the raids over several days at the start of December included an attack on Birao with six Mirage F1 fighters and four helicopter gunships. It claims the attack forced thousands of civilians to flee towards Darfur and southern Chad.

A French armed forces spokesman yesterday refused to give details of whether bombs, missiles or machinegun-fire had been used by the jets.

Humanitarian groups have not yet succeeded in reaching Birao but in phone calls to residents they have heard reports of executions and rapes by the CAR army.

The rebellion, according to the CAR army, was finally crushed on Monday with the capture of Ouadda-Djalle. However, there are fears that the rebels, who have scattered, will relaunch their offensive.

Nganatouwa Goungaye Wanfiyo, president of the Central African Human Rights League, said France's intervention on the side of the CAR army had been out of all proportion and may have increased the risk of a Darfur-style ethnic conflict. "They have just delayed the problem and worsened it. The opposition wants dialogue with Bozizé, that's all."


http://news.independent.co.uk/world/...cle2076138.ece

[troung]

Africa: 'French Troops in Africa Not Interfering'

Daily Trust (Abuja)

December 12, 2006
Posted to the web December 12, 2006

Elkanah Chawai


France has refuted any interventionist policy in Africa, saying that France is carrying out action based on agreements signed with African countries.

Currently, France troops are fighting with Central African Republic and Chad to quash rebels' attacks in those countries.


In a press release by Emmanuel Gagniarre of the Embassy of France in Nigeria over the weekend, France said "The action is part of a political framework. First, we are really concerned about what is happening in the Central African Republic and Chad, and more generally about the current instability in the region which is linked to a large extent to events in Darfur," the statement stated.

"There's a political framework that exists. The president sent a message to President Bozize telling him that France stood by the side of the Central African Republic, especially in the defense of its territorial integrity. The prime minister went to Chad not very long ago. And we have agreements. We have a defense agreement with the CAR and a military cooperation agreement with Chad.

France said that the French troops are no substitute for Central African forces, but that they provide support in terms of intelligence and logistics and air support.

Meanwhile, the French government has called on countries to ratify the Merida Convention which is a convention by the United Nations against corruption and which only 80 states, out of 140 signatories, have ratified.

France reiterated its commitment to the fight against corruption, saying that it has developed a strategy to fight corruption at international level which maps out guidelines for its action, including 30 cooperation projects, against corruption.

The statement stated that the first conference of the 80 states parties started on Sunday and will end on Thursday in Amman, Jordan, saying that France is working to see the success of the convention being put ion force.

The first Conference of the States Parties to this Convention, tasked with reviewing the Convention's implementation one year after its entry into force.

As the co-chair of the conference, France has proposed which concern the incorporation into the States Parties' domestic legislation of the five main corrupt activities as criminal offences, the constitution of a working group to consider the return of assets obtained through corruption, and coordination of the financing of technical assistance.

Relevant Links

West Africa
Europe and Africa
Nigeria



"France has effective anti-corruption machinery: its main elements are the Central Service for the Prevention of Corruption (SCPC), attached to the Ministry of Justice, the central bank account database and the platform for the identification of criminal assets. France is particularly well provided with legislation on the funding of political parties and in the field of asset seizure," the statement said.

It would be recalled that the Chief of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has accused France of aiding corruption in African countries, saying that the French authorities frustrates the war against corruption and that it harbours loots pilfered by Nigerian leaders.

In response to President Paul Kagame allegations that France colluded in the genocide in Rwanda, France said that "we worked actively to mobilize the international community in order to assist the victims of the genocide. In no way was it associated either closely or indirectly in the preparation or perpetration of the genocide. The allegations you report are groundless."

[troung]

Central African army recaptures last rebel-held town
afrol News / IRIN, 11 December - The army has recaptured Ouadda-Djallé, a town in the northeast of the Central African Republic, the last of several held by rebels since November, a spokesman for President François Bozizé said on Monday.

"The town of Ouadda-Djallé was recaptured on Sunday without any fighting," Cyriaque Gonda, the spokesman, told the UN media 'IRIN'.

The recapture of Ouadda-Djallé, in the northern prefecture of Vakaga, ends the occupation of areas in the northeast by a rebel coalition known as Union des Forces Démocratiques pour le rassemblement (UFDR), which began operations on 30 October by capturing the town of Birao, the provincial capital of Vakaga. Ouadda-Djallé is 110 kilometres south of Birao.

Efforts to contact 'Capt' Diego Albator Yao, the rebel in charge of UFDR's military operation, have failed since the army recaptured Ouadda-Djallé.

The rebels have said they resorted to arms to protest against the "exclusionist policy" of President Bozizé's government, claiming that since seizing power from President Ange-Félix Patassé in March 2003, Mr Bozizé had ruled on an ethnic basis.

Besides Ouadda-Djallé and Birao, the army, with the key help of French troops, has also recaptured the towns of Ouadda, Sam-Ouandja and Ndélé. France provided the army of the Central African Republic with military assistance after a request by President Bozizé to the country's former colonial power to help it quell the rebellion in the north and northeast.

Six jet fighters and four helicopters were used to chase rebels from the towns they controlled. Moreover, troops of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC) backed the army in clearing the rebels out of towns such as Ouadda and Sam-Ouandja. Military sources in the capital, Bangui, said 300 French soldiers and 380 CEMAC troops took part in the operation.

On Monday, government spokesman Gonda said: "The loyal forces have victoriously re-conquered all the towns controlled by rebels, who are currently on the run."

However, many Bangui residents were reluctant to believe that the army had recaptured all the towns held by the rebels.

François Bassole, a driver, expressed concern for the country's future. "The government has announced the army is in control of the whole country but the rebels are still in the bush; who knows, they can come back again," he said.

An army major, who requested anonymity, held a similar view. He said problems remained, despite the towns' recapture. "It is a good thing to re-conquer all these towns but the most difficult task looms ahead - clearing the region of these armed men," he said.

Since late October when rebel activity intensified in the north, the government has been accusing Sudan of backing UFDR. In November, the Central African authorities claimed the rebels who had captured the towns were from Sudan's Darfur region, something that was denied by Sudanese authorities. The rebels, for their part, have also said they have no connection with Sudan.

The rebel activity in the north has caused the displacement of thousands of civilians, who fled their homes in fear of violence. Some of the displaced are said to have crossed the border into Sudan in search of security while others are hiding in the bush. There have been reports of rape in the affected areas.

The government of the Central African Republic and the UFDR have accused each other of perpetrating human-rights abuses in the region.

So far, no humanitarian organisation has a precise assessment of the plight of civilians in the area, as no relief organisation has been able to enter the region since the rebels captured Birao.

The public information officer of the UN's resident humanitarian affairs coordinator, Maurizio Giuliano, told 'IRIN' on Monday that some relief organisations had flown to Birao on Sunday. However, he did not have any more details.



By UN media IRIN

[kato]

France vows immediate action in Central African Republic after battle | Reuters

(Reuters) - France said it would act immediately in Central African Republic after securing U.N. backing to halt sectarian violence that rocked the capital on Thursday and risked escalating into widespread civilian massacres.

A Reuters witness and an aid worker said at least 105 people were killed in fierce fighting in Bangui between mainly Muslim former rebels now in charge of the country and a mix of local Christian militia and fighters loyal to ousted president Francois Bozize. Many were civilians.

Mindful of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, when hundreds of thousands were killed as the world looked on, the United States and other Western powers have urged swift international action to prevent the anarchy in Central African Republic leading to atrocities against the civilian population.

Most of the fighting in Bangui had eased by midday and the streets were largely deserted, but the death toll mounted and there were reports of widespread abuses during the fighting.

"I have decided to act immediately, in other words, this evening," French President Francois Hollande told reporters, hours after a vote at the U.N. Security Council authorized French and African troops to use force to protect civilians.

An arms embargo was also imposed on the country and the Security Council asked the United Nations to prepare for a possible peacekeeping mission.

WORST VIOLENCE

France has about 650 troops based at Bangui airport. Some 250 of these were deployed in town on Thursday to protect French interests and citizens. Hollande said the numbers of French troops present in the country would be doubled as early as this evening due to reinforcements from neighboring states.

Hundreds of French troops had been pre-positioned in Cameroon, Gabon and Chad, pending the U.N. approval to help restore order in Central African Republic.

The former French colony has slipped into chaos since mainly Muslim rebels seized power in March, leading to tit-for-tat sectarian violence with the Christian majority. However, the violence on Thursday was the worst the capital has seen during this year's crisis.

"We've received numerous reports from very credible sources of extrajudicial executions," said Joanne Mariner, a crisis expert with Amnesty International who is in Bangui.

"This underscores the need for international troops to arrive and secure the city. The situation is quickly spiraling out of control," Mariner said.

Fifty-three bodies had been brought to a mosque in Bangui's PK5 neighborhood. Most victims appeared to have been clubbed or hacked to death, a Reuters witness said.

Samuel Hanryon, who works for medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres at Bangui's Hopital Communautaire, said there were another 52 bodies at the morgue there.

African peacekeepers protecting hundreds of civilians in their base in Bossangoa about 300 km north of the capital also came under heavy fire from the former rebels on Thursday, witnesses said.

Central African Republic is rich in gold, diamonds and uranium but decades of instability and spillover from conflicts in its larger neighbors have kept it mired in crisis.

Michel Djotodia, leader of the Seleka former rebel alliance, is now the country's interim president but he has struggled to control his loose band of fighters, many of whom are gunmen from neighboring Chad and Sudan.

Mainly Christian local defense groups, known as "anti-balaka", have sprung up in response to abuses committed in Bangui and other parts of the country by the former rebels.

Some 400,000 people, or 10 percent of the population, have been force from their homes.

Djotodia and Nicolas Tiangaye, his prime minister, accused Bozize loyalists of mounting the Bangui attack. General Arda Hakouma, Djotodia's head of security, said "anti-balaka" forces, armed with rifles, rocket launchers and machetes, were also involved.

MSF said it treated 90 wounded at Bangui's Hopital Communautaire hospital. A witness said African peacekeepers ignored pleas of civilians for them to protect the hospital from marauding fighters. Many staff had fled, he said.

A separate witness said he saw dozens of bodies lying in the abandoned Ouango market in the southeast of the city.

The clashes appeared to have started around the Boy Rabe neighborhood, a stronghold of Bozize that has been repeatedly raided by Seleka forces amid reports arms had been distributed to civilians before the former president fell.

There were reports of arms being handed out to civilians in the mainly Muslim PK5 neighborhood.

The government declared an overnight curfew and closed its border with Democratic Republic of Congo.

Some rights groups have called for a U.N. peacekeeping mission to be set up immediately but regional leaders want to see if a beefed-up African force supported by France can contain the violence.

Having previously intervened in CAR's conflicts, Paris initially sought to avoid this one. But the scale of the violence since the rebels swept south has forced France's hand.

"When Seleka entered, there were dead Christians. This time it could be worse ... We need the French. The French have to come quickly," Wilfred Koyamba, a Bangui resident told Reuters.

Another resident said he saw a group of about 40 heavily armed "anti-balaka" fighters in the Ngaragba neighborhood break open the prison doors there. One of the fighters told the resident: "Stay at home. Show us the houses of the Muslims."

Some Seleka gunmen had stripped off uniforms to blend into the population, witnesses said.

A French diplomat said on Thursday that 850 Burundian troops would be sent over the weekend to support the African mission.

Germany is supporting the French troops with military air transport assets through EATC, which has also been chartering civilian aircraft for this.