Violence has escalated dramatically in CAR since early December. The conflict follows a military coup in March by a union of Muslim rebels called Seleka, who unseated then-President Francois Bozize. In the months since his ouster, Seleka rebels committed documented human rights abuses and killings of Christian civilians with almost total impunity. Although current President Michel Djotodia dissolved Seleka in September, those abuses have continued, and spurred retaliatory violence by Christian communities who armed themselves in what they have called “anti-Balaka” (anti-machete) militias. Both ex-Seleka (Muslim) and anti-Balaka (Christian) armed groups have committed horrific crimes against civilians in the opposing communities, each side blaming the other minority as a whole for the violence.
The international community has responded with surprising, and welcome, assertiveness. In an emergency UN Security Council meeting, the UN authorized an aggressive mandate for French peace-enforcement troops, who joined African Union peacekeepers in CAR on December XXX. The US has authorized up to $101 million to “restore security” in CAR, including “defense services for French forces and defense articles and services for the African-led International Support Mission to the Central African Republic.” An additional $15 million will be provided in humanitarian assistance, which is an increase above the $24 million already approved in the current budget for CAR.
While the French forces and AU peacekeepers have not yet stopped the violence, most analysts believe they have staved off a significant increase. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has called for up to 9000 troops to stop violence in CAR, and many believe the African Union troops should become a UN-led mission. If and when the violence is stopped, significant support will be needed for community-level conflict prevention and peacebuilding activities to reconcile the Christian and Muslim populations in the country and heal the significant trauma that both communities have endured.