UNITED NATIONS, December 9 (Sputnik) — The United Nations' stabilization mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) is nearing full deployment amid continued violence in the country, UN Peacekeeping official Herve Ladsous told the Security Council on Tuesday.
Ladsous’ statements come amid continued violence and a jail-break in the country’s capital Bangui last month.
Addressing the recent jail break, Ladsous recounted that “on November 24, inmates inside the Bangui central prison seized weapons and shot and threw hand grenades at UN peacekeepers, providing static guard duty outside the prison. Three UN troops and one UN police officer were injured in the incident. Both of these serious security incidents in the capital could have significantly escalated without robust efforts by MINUSCA”.
UN’s MINUSCA mission was established by the Security Council in April 2014 and took over peacekeeping duties on September 15. The mission is largely made up from the African-led International Support Mission to the Central African Republic (MISCA), which was previously responsible for peacekeeping in the region. In September, the peacekeeping force consisted of some 6,500 troops.
