[Daily Nation (Kenya)] Central African Republic has collapsed into "a state of anarchy" and the UN Security Council must impose sanctions and mandate a neutral security force to restore order, a UN envoy said Wednesday.UN representative to the strife-torn country Margaret Vogt painted a grim picture with death stalking the streets since rebels ousted President Francois Bozize on March 24.
The country has "collapsed into a state of anarchy," Vogt told the Security Council.
There are "indiscriminate and often assassinations, rampant rapes and assaults on the innocent population, flagrant recruitment of children as soldiers, looting of homes, not just of the rich but even of already struggling citizens," she added.
"We believe that the time is right for the council to consider the imposition of individual sanctions against the architects and perpetrators of these gross violations," Vogt said.
"There is an urgent need to help restore stability in the CAR. This should be done by deploying a neutral security force that would contain the current state of anarchy," she added.
A rebel coalition known as Seleka seized power on March 24, forcing Bozize to flee. But the rebels have since been accused of taking part in a looting and killing spree in the huge mineral-rich country of 4.5 million people.
Vogt said that strip mining of the country's diamond and gold reserves has "exponentially expanded" in areas controlled by Seleka.
While regional leaders set up a peace plan that was accepted by Seleka, Michel Djotodia, who named himself president after the coup, has gone against the accords, Vogt said.
"He continues to run the country by presidential decrees," the envoy said.
Channeling Emperor Freddy, is he?
The Seleka leadership "is unable or unwilling, neither to control the ranks of the militia groups nor to rein in local commanders," she added.
The troubles in Central African Republic are now a threat to neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo
...formerly the Congo Free State, Belgian Congo, Zaire, and who knows what else, not to be confused with the Brazzaville Congo aka
Republic of Congo, which is much smaller and much more (for Africa) stable. DRC gave the world Patrice Lumumba and Joseph Mobutu, followed by years of tedious civil war. Its principle industry seems to be the production of corpses. With a population of about 74 million it has lots of raw material...
, Chad and Cameroon, the UN envoy added.
Other African states already have a small force in the country and have promised to boost it to 2,000 troops but Vogt said more is needed.
Central African Republic's interim prime minister Nicolas Tiangaye repeated calls for La Belle France to send an intervention force to the country.
