Rabat – Morocco has called for a surge in the number of peacekeepers in the Central African Republic (CAR) to respond to the increasing violence in the country, the Moroccan press agency MAP reported.
Speaking on Tuesday during a meeting held in New York at the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) and chaired by the kingdom, Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita deplored the current security situation in CAR.
Bourita said it was unacceptable to see “armed groups take the whole political process hostage.” The minister warned against the rise of conflict in the African country and “the ethnic and religious nature” of the ongoing violence in Bangassou, a region that Bourita had described before as”a symbol of tolerance and cohabitation.”
Facing the current situation in CAR, “the international community should intervene,” urged Bourita. The minister stressed the high cost of passivity in such situation, adding that the future of the country is at stake since the evidence of an ethnic cleansing is flagrant.
From Bourita’s security stand point, the minister insisted on the urgency of increasing MINUSCA’s (United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic) peacekeeping capacity, given the resurgence of violence, the vast territory it covers and the quasi-absence of the national security forces.
Lauding what he described as the “outstanding work of MINUSCA,” Bourita highlighted the role played by the peacekeeping mission in bringing peace and stability in the African country plagued by internal conflict.
He paid a special tribute to the peacekeepers, especially the Moroccan officers on ground, who perished while on duty. He said these soldiers sacrificed their lives to defend a vulnerable local population, and those responsible for their death should be apprehended and prosecuted for their crimes.
The minister pledged the kingdom’s support to CAR, a country which Morocco sees as a friend and to which it came in aid in moments of distress.
“Our expertise and experience in different fields remain at CAR’s disposal,” said the minister.
Morocco is one of the many countries that contributed with peacekeepers to help bring stability in the conflict-stricken African nation.
Back in July, three Moroccan blue helemts were killed by armed men belonging to to the infamous Anti-Balaka militia.
