Q2: What role have the French played in responding to the crisis? What has been the response of the international community as a whole?
A contingent of peacekeepers from the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) have been present in CAR since 2008 but were unable to exert much influence on the crisis. In July, the African Union decided to beef up the response by announcing the formation of an AU-led International Support Mission for CAR, known by its French acronym of MISCA. It is envisaged that the MISCA force will eventually be composed of 6,000 troops, but it has been slow to deploy and is not due to officially take over from the ECCAS force until later in December. Recognizing that the speed of the crisis was outpacing the response, France announced plans to increase its military presence of 400 troops to as many as 1,600. Following hard on the heels of its intervention in Mali, the news of another French military engagement has raised concerns among some African leaders, wary of France's history of interference and opaque dealings in its former colonies (including seven military operations in CAR). The reality, however, is that France has been trying for some time to turn the page on its relations in Africa. It is trying to play a more constructive role in Africa, and the CAR operation has less to do with protecting business deals and compliant rulers and more to do with protecting civilians and preventing the complete collapse of a country. If President François Hollande can boost his flagging poll figures at home by acting decisively abroad, that will be an added bonus. France's status as a former colonial power and its track record of interference in the affairs of independent African states means that its motives will always be questioned. African leaders tempted to complain about French neocolonial adventurism need to face up to the uncomfortable reality that Africa has yet to develop sufficient capacity to respond to its own security crises.
The French-AU plan was given unanimous approval on December 5, when the UN Security Council passed a resolution endorsing the mandate of MISCA and authorized the French forces to temporarily take all necessary measures in their support of it. The resolution also paves the way for MISCA to become a fully-fledged UN peacekeeping mission and calls on UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon to provide recommendations for this transition within three months. The resolution places a one year arms embargo on CAR and calls for a special investigation into rights abuses.
