Many flee in fear to C. African Republic airport

[uppityperson]

Source: Seattle Times/AP

[div class=excerpt"]At first, it was just a few people running from the men with machetes and guns. Then the trickle of fear that led straight to the airport swelled into a flood.

By Friday, with the Central African Republic's capital of Bangui hovering at the edge of anarchy, thousands of people crammed into the country's only true sanctuary -- the airport -- because of the French forces protecting it.

As French soldiers and equipment -- including a fighter jet, helicopters, parachutists and armored vehicles -- rumbled their way into one of the world's poorest countries, locals stood behind coils of barbed wire, banging on plastic buckets, waving rags in the air and singing with joy.

There was no hope of flying away in any of those aircraft. Still, residents of Bangui stayed because this was the place where, at least for a while, they were least afraid of the spasm of bloodshed that left more than 100 people dead Thursday in the lawless capital...

(more @ link)

Read more: http://seattletimes.com/html/nationworld/2022405765_apxcentralafricanrepublicviolence.html

[bigworld]

1. Where do you even start

in a country that is as messed up as the CAR? And where is the African Union, except off holding some conference?

[LanternWaste]

3. Difficult for an underfunded and finite organization to be everywhere...

"And where is the African Union, except off holding some conference?"

Difficult for an underfunded and finite organization to be everywhere when they are yet combating malaria and the AIDS/HIV epidemic; confronting eight other regimes and mediating in the many civil wars; economic issues such as improving the standard of living of millions of impoverished, uneducated Africans; ecological issues such as dealing with recurring famines, desertification, and lack of ecological sustainability; as well as the legal issues regarding Western Sahara.

But yeah... what do they know? What do they do? Nothing and nothing...

[bigworld]

6. You're right of course - they have a lot on their plate

The wheels do move sadly slowly in times of crisis, though. And not only in Africa. I withdraw my snark.

[muriel_volestrangler]

8. The African Union is going to send in troops, as well as France

and there are some African troops as peacekeepers there already:

There is a 2,500-strong peacekeeping force in Central African Republic deployed by the Economic Community of Central African States. The African Union is due to take charge of that force later this month and boost its size to 3,600 troops.

The U.N. Security Council resolution authorized the deployment of the African Union force for one year, with the operation to be reviewed after six months. It also asks Ban to set up a trust fund for voluntary contributions to finance the African force, to be known as MISCA.

The European Union has offered financial support to MISCA through its African Peace Facility, while the United States has pledged $40 million to the African Union-led mission.

http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/12/05/21775357-un-authorizes-french-african-troops-in-central-african-republic

Just last month, it seemed that the African peacekeeping troops in Bossangoa, Central African Republic, did little more than turn a profit selling cold beers to the local population. But today, those same troops courageously came to the rescue of people caught in an intense battle for control of this city, 300 kilometers north of the capital, Bangui. The day started tense, as we woke up to news of heavy clashes in Bangui between the predominantly Muslim ex-Seleka forces who have ruled the country since March, and the mainly Christian anti-balaka (“anti-machete”) fighters seeking to overthrow them. Dozens were killed. The news soon spread that the ex-Seleka commander of Bossangoa, General Yaya, was among those killed in the Bangui fighting.
...
Fighting erupted in Bossangoa at about 2 p.m. We were in the Muslim quarter helping a wounded massacre survivor when carloads of heavily armed ex-Seleka fighters arrived, ready for battle. Together with hundreds of civilians, we rushed to the relative safety of the base used by the Multinational Force of Central Africa (FOMAC). Unusually, the peacekeepers kept their doors open. All too often in the past, African and UN peacekeeping troops have done little or nothing to protect nearby civilians from armed attack, closing the doors of their bases and leaving people to their fate when the bullets start flying.

As the fighting intensified, the FOMAC commander, Captain Wilson from the Republic of Congo, rallied his peacekeeping troops with remarkable speed and courage, deploying them around town to safeguard the tens of thousands of displaced people at the Catholic church and at other sites around town.

When I informed him most humanitarian workers were stuck at a compound on the front line of the fighting, he ordered his troops to the scene without hesitation, evacuating the workers just in time.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/human-rights-watch/african-peacekeepers-to-t_b_4398929.html

[malthaussen]

10. Well let's hear it for Captain Wilson.

Humanity over doctrine? He'll either get a medal or fired.

-- Mal

[KamaAina]

4. Do they have oil?

If so, we attack at dawn!

[pampango]

5. Thanks for posting this, uppityperson. Looks like the force will be 3/4 African, 1/4 French.

The attack happened on Thursday before the UN approved a French-led mission to protect civilians and quell violence.

A detachment of French helicopters headed for Bangui after the decision, and the UK will send a transport plane.

It is now working under a 12-month UN mandate and will increase to some 3,600 African soldiers, in addition to the 1,200-strong French force.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-25268100

[muriel_volestrangler]

7. Report: Central African death toll up to 280

BANGUI, Central African Republic — Christian civilians fled by the thousands to the airport guarded by French forces in this chaotic capital Friday as the mostly Muslim armed fighters who have ruled the country since March hunted door-to-door for their enemies and the death toll from inter-communal violence increased to 280 people.

Bodies lay decomposing along the roads in a capital too dangerous for many to collect the corpses. Thursday's clashes marked the worst unrest in Bangui in nine months and raised fears that waves of retaliatory attacks could soon follow.

"They are slaughtering us like chickens," said Appolinaire Donoboy, a Christian whose family remained in hiding.

France had pledged to increase its presence in its former colony well before Christian militias attacked the capital at dawn Thursday. The arrival of additional French troops and equipment came as the capital teetered on the brink of total anarchy and represented the greatest hope for many Central Africans.

http://www.news-sentinel.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20131206/NEWS/131209738/-1/LIVING

[uppityperson]

9. big sigh

[FrodosPet]

13. Killin' for my Sky Daddy!

stupid stupid STUPID!!!

[muriel_volestrangler]

11. Huge African troop surge to tackle CAR fighting

The African Union is to increase significantly the number of troops it plans to send to the Central African Republic to help end communal fighting.

The size of the AU force will rise to 6,000, France said as it moved to boost its own freshly deployed troop contingent to 1,600.

At least 394 people have died in three days of fighting in the capital Bangui alone, the Red Cross says.
...
An estimated 10% of CAR's 4.6 million people have fled their homes, while more than a million urgently need food aid, according to the UN.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-25286068

[Kaleva]

12. To get an idea of the problems in CAR, here's a movie I'd recommend

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ambassador_(2011_film)

[muriel_volestrangler]

14. There's an interesting snippet here

about Bokassa: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/adamcurtis/posts/PARADIABOLICAL

It's Adam Curtis (maker of "The Power of Nightmares&quot , who pulled together a lot of old BBC archive on Algeria and Somalia, but there's one bit about Bokassa's coronation there too.

The most dramatic example of how the French Empire still possessed the minds and behaviour of Africans was in the Central African Republic. It too had got independence from France in 1960 - but in 1965 there was, of course, a military coup and Colonel Jean Bedel Bokassa took power. In 1972 he made himself President for Life, but then, in 1977, he decided to crown himself Emperor of the Central African Empire.

It was a weird and grotesque demonstration of how the European mind set still controlled Africans in a distorted way. Because Bokassa was directly modelling himself on the French emperor Napoleon - and his coronation was supposed to be an exact copy of Napoleon's coronation as emperor in Paris in 1804.

Here is a great film made about Bokassa as he prepares for his coronation. It's a wonderful picture of what happens when a mad dictator decides to spend lots of money - clutches of European designers and planners and "facilitators" flock around all taking it very seriously. While Bokassa spends his time in his palace watching film of other royal coronations and the British Queen's Silver Jubilee in order to get inspiration.

Bokassa is also interviewed. He explains why he cuts peoples' ears off - he says it's a lot less barbarous than the death penalty, which France still had at that time. I suppose he has a point. And then he tries to explain why he is establishing an Empire when in fact he hasn't got an Empire. It's a very odd explanation - and it's very funny.

[muriel_volestrangler]

15. French soldiers killed in Central African Republic

Two French soldiers have been killed in combat in the Central African Republic, the French presidency says.

A statement said President Francois Hollande "learned with deep sadness" that the two had been killed overnight in the capital Bangui.

They are the first French deaths since President Hollande deployed 1,600 soldiers to the CAR last week.
...
Claude Bartolone, speaker of France's National Assembly, told reporters that the two paratroopers had been involved in a clash near Bangui airport.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-25313817