CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC CRISIS: WHAT ARE THE EUROPEAN MOVES?

Africa / CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC CRISIS: WHAT ARE THE EUROPEAN MOVES?

27-12-2013

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC CRISIS: WHAT ARE THE EUROPEAN MOVES?

Written by Alessandro Mazzilli
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French troops and African Union peacekeepers are currently failing in stemming violence episodes in Central African Republic (CAR), and that’s why, during 19-20 December European Council, Paris called the European Union to intervene, by force of arms and/or by budgetary support. The core of the French proposal is the creation of a multinational military force deployable within the African continent at the first signs of a crisis. Relying on such a political and military tool, if rightly planned, the EU will be able to skip the huge political and diplomatic procedure that usually foreruns a military operation. But being such a delicate matter, the whole debate has been postponed to the first 2014 European Council.

Anyhow, European foreign and defence policy dialogue leaves the EU Member States governments free to take their own decisions: although a collective military response is under close examination, unilateral interventions are not beforehand ruled out even if, at present, only Belgium, Poland and Estonia seem ready to commit. Brussels is going to deploy one A-330 aircraft for strategic airlift purposes and four C-130s for tactical airlift purposes: the first one is going to shuttle between France and Central African Republic until late January; the others are going to deliver troops and supplies flying over CAR skies from the end of January for at least two months. As for Poland, Warsaw is going to deploy one transport aircraft with a 50-soldiers service crew from February the 1st. Finally, Tallinn might be ready to support French military operation as well as Brussels and Warsaw: Defence Minister Urmas Reinsalu declared that Estonia is seriously considering how to respond France’s request.

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