U.N. takes over C. Africa Republic mission

BANGUI, Central African Republic -- The United Nations took over a regional African peacekeeping mission in Central African Republic on Monday, nine months after the start of sectarian violence that has left at least 5,000 people dead and forced tens of thousands of Muslims to flee to neighboring countries.

About 1,800 additional peacekeepers and police are joining the mission as the U.N. takes over, though that force combined with the existing African troops is still only about 65 percent of what was authorized by the U.N. Security Council in April.

Human-rights groups and others called for the deployment of nearly 12,000, which diplomats have said won't take place until early 2015.

The reinforcements come from Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Morocco and Bangladesh and are joining peacekeepers from other countries in Central Africa.

The U.N. said it has taken months to solicit contributions from member states and mobilize the force arriving to reinforce the African mission.

The U.N. has "worked tirelessly" since the April resolution was passed, said U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric, adding that Central African Republic is "an extremely, extremely complicated logistical situation" because it is land-locked, with dilapidated roads that date back to its independence from France in 1960.

At least 5,204 people have been killed since the sectarian violence broke out in December, according to a tally compiled by The Associated Press. That figure is based on a count of bodies and numbers gathered from survivors, priests, imams and aid workers in more than 50 of the hardest-hit communities.

Civilians are still being killed "at an alarming rate," said Lewis Mudge, an Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch who conducted a field mission this month.

"There is no time to lose," he said. "The new U.N. mission urgently needs to get more troops into eastern and central areas and take bold steps to protect civilians from these brutal attacks."

Meanwhile, the U.S. on Monday announced that it will reopen its embassy in the capital, Bangui. The U.S. suspended operations in Central African Republic and urged Americans to leave the country when the violence began. Secretary of State John Kerry said in a statement that progress has been made at putting the nation on "a path toward peace and stability."

A Section on 09/16/2014

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