Rwanda National Police

The United Nations formally took over peacekeeping operations in the Central African Republic (CAR) from the African Union on September 15 with a call for member states to contribute more troops and Police personnel “without delay” to restore security and peace in the country.

The rehatting ceremony held in the capital Bangui was marked by swapping the green AU berets with the blue ones and raising the UN flag alongside the one of CAR and African Union.

The UN Security Council authorized a nearly 12, 000 strong force.

The UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon, in a statement, said the presence of UN Multi-dimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in CAR (MINUSCA) stands at 6, 500 troops and 1000 police personnel.

Nearly 6, 200 of current blue beret force are those that have been serving under the AU flag including 850 Rwandan troops.

Rwanda also deployed a contingent of 140 Police officers, the first to arrive in CAR two weeks ago, who will be part of the over 1, 000 police personnel that will be operating in the capital Bangui.

Under the new MINUSCA mandate, both Rwanda troops and Police will be stationed and operating in Bangui, with their mandate almost similar.

They will be conducting patrols, protection of VIP and key installations among others. However, the Rwandan troops remain in charge of guarding and escorting the Head of State among other high ranking officials under the transitional government.

Ban said the new mission will “prioritize the protection of civilians, as well as support to the political process and state-building efforts.”

He, however, reiterated serious concern about continued attacks against civilians, especially outside of Bangui and called on all parties to put an immediate end to the violence, in accordance with the cessation of hostilities agreement.

Nearly 5000 people have been killed and tens of thousands others fled their homes since December last year when fighting between Muslims and Christians erupted.

The Rwandan troops have been credited for restoring relative peace and security since their arrival in January after they disarmed the two enemy groups and opened routes connecting to other countries, which had been closed by the warring parties.

The interim President of CAR, Catherine Samba-Panza, during the ceremony, said this was a “new stage in the stabilisation of the country after nearly three decades of instability."

She commended the peacekeepers for operating “selflessly” for the good of the citizens and the CAR in general.

Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, the chairperson of the AU commission paid tribute to the AU peacekeepers for their “determination” and said this is a “historical moment” for CAR and Africa and “powerful symbol” of the “ever standing relations” between AU and UN towards sustainable peace and security on the continent.

“The AU peacekeepers, who worked alongside the French and European troops, acted with courage, selfless and desire to assist their brothers and sisters; they acted with pan-African heart,” Zuma said.