U.N. Peacekeeping

In a clear signal of its intention to play a greater peacekeeping role, Kigali this week also announced that it would be sending more policemen to South Sudan and Darfur to boost the already existing mission there, in what is being seen as its latest attempt to mend a tattered image. It is expected that Rwandan troops will join an existing hybrid peacekeeping force made up of 1,000 French troops and a 2,500-strong AU peacekeeping force. It is not clear how the Rwandan troops will operate alongside the Congolese and French troops given the historical and ideological differences that exist between DRC, France and Rwanda.

The conflict in the Central African Republic is spiralling out of control. “Strife in Central African Republic could turn into religious war and spill over borders, UN warns,” reads the headline in the UN’s latest report. The UN’s head of Political Affairs, Jeffrey Feltman, told the Security Council that killings were continuing daily, dividing the country along religious lines – nearly 1 million have been driven from their homes and half the population needs aid.

FRENCH popular support for military intervention in the Central African Republic is waning as French and African troops struggle to restore peace, a recent poll has shown, heaping pressure on President François Hollande to find a quick solution to worsening unrest.

Chairman Menendez, Ranking Member Corker, Members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify before you today. I know that the subject before us is one about which you and other members of Congress care deeply. I regret to inform you that Special Envoy Booth is unavailable to testify today as he is in Addis Ababa working to get the peace process underway.