Amnesty says UN mission to CAR has evident gaps in capacity

Amnesty International has criticised the UN peacekeeping operation in the Central African Republic (CAR), saying that “gaps in the force’s capacity to respond have been evident” since its deployment in September 2014.

The group said in its report on Monday in Johannesburg, that to arrive at the conclusion it interviewed 85 people for the report, including MINUSCA staff, officials, members of armed groups, witnesses and victims.

It said that more than 12,000 peacekeepers are currently in CAR, which was plunged into a spiral of violence in March 2013, when mainly Muslim Seleka rebels overthrew Christian President, Francois Bozize.

It said thousands have been killed and about 1 million displaced in inter-religious violence.

The amnesty international noted that the weaknesses of the UN mission known as MINUSCA became evident in September last year, when it took two days to intervene against a three-day surge of violence in Bangui that killed at least 75 people.

The human rights group also accused MINUSCA of having provided little security to Muslims fleeing Christian militiamen in CAR.

The report noted that UN mission has too few troops, which lack equipment and the capacity to gather intelligence and many of whom are performing below expected standards.

The amnesty pointed out that MINUSCA troops have been involved in a string of scandals over peacekeepers allegedly sexually abusing local women.

It said the UN which has said it would repatriate 120 peacekeepers from the Republic of Congo over such allegations was due to name all the countries implicated in the scandals this month.

The Amnesty noted that the mission to CAR operated better late last year, but “there was little guarantee that, without further measures to strengthen MINUSCA, new outbreaks of violence would not continue to threaten the stability of the country.

CAR will on Sunday stage the second round of a presidential election which it is hoped will help to stabilize the country.