UN authorises France to intervene in the Central African Republic

Lockstep

The UN has just authorised France to intervene in the Central African Republic in support of African Union troops. The CAR has seen such violence between Christian and Muslim armed groups that the UN warned the CAR was on the verge of genocide.

For those who haven't followed this, it's a small nation and a former French colony which has all the recipes for disaster: impoverished and mineral rich. CAR's Muslim minority ousted President Bozize and with rebel Muslim Selekas carrying out atrocities against the Christian majority of the CAR causing Christians to form self-defence groups which are also carrying out their own atrocities and seeing the country divide on sectarian lines.

This is a fairly interesting development, with France once again showing its long-standing willingness to intervene in Africa and Hollande further showing his muscular foreign policy. France has long had an interest in the region, leading Operation Barracuda, an coup against the insane dictator Bokassa who massacred civilians and school children.

It's especially interesting as the forces are mandated to protect civilians (unlike in say, Rwanda or Bosnia)

More info here

Morpheus

Maybe it should be the European Battlegroups who are going into these kinds of conflicts.