UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has recommended deploying nearly 12,000 peacekeepers in Central African Republic to re-establish order in a country that has erupted in chaos and sectarian killing.
The former French colony was thrown into turmoil after rebels from the mainly Muslim Seleka group seized power in a March 2013 coup, triggering Muslim-Christian violence that has left thousands dead and prompted fears of genocide and ethnic cleansing.
In a report to the 15 members of the UN Security Council on Monday, Ban specified that the peacekeeping mission should focus, in the initial stage, on "the protection of civilians" as part of a "military surge."
However, Ban warned that "the scale of the needs in the CAR is daunting" and it is understood that even in the best case, UN peacekeepers couldn't be deployed for another six months because of the time required to mount such an operation.
The mandate of the proposed force would be progressively expanded to support the political transition process, in particular restoring the government's authority over the country and organising elections.
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The peacekeeping force would also be charged with safeguarding the delivery of humanitarian aid, the respect of human rights and the return of the estimated quarter of the country's 4.6 million people displaced by the violence.
"It is envisaged that the strength of the peacekeeping operation would comprise up to 10,000 troops and 1,820 police personnel," and include logistical and transport support, such as helicopters, the report explained.
The deployment would be rolled out in stages.
