BANGUI
The recent deployment of the European Union Force (EUFOR) in Central African capital Bangui aims to strengthen the country's criminal justice system with a view to ending "rampant impunity," the commander of the force has said.
The EUFOR mission is replacing French troops, which will be redeployed from the capital to other provinces, Commander General Thierry Lion told a Monday press conference in Bangui.
He said his force consisted of 800 personnel, including 600 soldiers.
The commander, a Frenchman, said it was the first deployment in Africa for a number of the soldiers under his command.
Lion said one goal of the mission was to end the crisis in the Central African Republic (CAR).
In Bangui, he said, European forces would help secure the airport and surrounding areas – including predominantly Muslim areas – and sites for internally displaced persons (IDPs).
The mission will also pave the way for the deployment of U.N. peacekeepers expected to arrive in mid-September.
Mandated by the European Union for an initial six-month deployment, EUFOR was dispatched in hopes it would help end the sectarian conflict that has killed hundreds since last December.
A mineral-rich, landlocked country, CAR descended into anarchy one year ago when Seleka rebels – said to be mostly Muslim – ousted Christian president Francois Bozize, who had come to power in a 2003 coup.
According to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), around 173,000 people have been internally displaced since last December, while 37,000 others have fled to neighboring countries.
Over 30,000 have fled to the Democratic Republic of Congo, while Chad has received 5600 and Cameroon roughly 1000, according to UNHCR figures.
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