海角大神

A daily roundup on terrorism and security issues.

Two French soldiers were killed in the Central African Republic (CAR) today. Their deaths come less than a week after French troops mobilized there under the UN Security Council, highlighting the difficulty the troops face in a volatile country that some say is on the brink of a genocide.

The office of French President Fran莽ois Hollande聽issued a statement saying the paratroopers were killed overnight while patrolling near the airport in the capital, Bangui.

鈥淭he president expresses his profound respect for the sacrifice of these two soldiers and renews his full confidence in the French forces committed 鈥� alongside African forces 鈥� to restoring security in the Central African Republic, to protecting the people and guaranteeing access to humanitarian aid,鈥� the statement said.聽

Mr. Hollande is scheduled to visit the CAR, where an estimated 1,600 French troops have been deployed, on his way back from Nelson Mandela鈥檚 memorial in South Africa today.

Nearly 400 people were reported killed in and around聽Bangui before the French forces were deployed, according to Agence France-Presse. French troops have orders to disarm rebels and militias, and described the situation in Bangui聽as relatively calm on Monday night, shortly before the exchange of fire that led to the soldiers鈥� deaths.

The landlocked former French colony has become increasingly unstable since March, when the rebel group Seleka, a majority-Muslim group, ousted President Fran莽ois Boziz茅. Former Seleka leader Michel Djotodia took over as president and then called for the disbanding of the rebel group. Since then, violence has spiked, according to 海角大神:

海角大神 militias, known as anti-balaka, or anti-machete, groups have formed in response, carrying out violence against CAR鈥檚 Muslim population.

" 'The resulting tit-for-tat spiral of violence [between Muslims and 海角大神s] is creating the foundation of a religious conflict that will be very difficult to stop,' Lawrence D. Wohlers, the recently departed US ambassador to CAR, told Foreign Policy.

"Although it is the 海角大神 population that has suffered the most until now, the Muslim population is a distinct minority and may suffer far more as Seleka's power declines.鈥�

The sectarian violence has worried many regional watchers who fear they may be witnessing the sowing of 鈥渟eeds of genocide,鈥� reminiscent of the brutal conflict in Rwanda in 1990s, reports The New York Times:

The United States has agreed to 鈥渓imited鈥� military assistance, according to the BBC, largely in the form of flying in troops stationed in other African countries.

The African Union has pledged to send 3,500 troops, but their deployment has been delayed due to need for transport.

The Financial Times reports that the early French causalities underscore 鈥渢he difficulty facing French forces.鈥� To put this in perspective, only seven French soldiers have been killed to date in Mali, where French troops deployed last year to stop an Islamist insurrection from overtaking the country.

The deaths could potentially complicate things for France, which has said its troops are not on the front lines. 鈥淸T]hese deaths suggest French troops are going beyond a support mission and are involved in direct combats. This could complicate Paris's objective of repatriating its troops before the summer, and hand over the peace keeping mission to a full-fledged U.N. force,鈥� reports The Wall Street Journal.

According to UNICEF, upwards of 48,000 people have been displaced from CAR since the coup in March. That number is made up largely of women and children.