EU troops expected to arrive in CAR in early March

The European Union (EU) is to dispatch at least 500 forces to the Central African Republic (CAR) in March to help contain the violence in the strife-torn country, a Greek minister says.

Speaking after a two-day meeting of EU defense ministers on Friday, Greek Defense Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos said the EU troops are expected to arrive in the CAR early next month, adding that the EU force’s command center would be in Larissa, Greece.

Earlier this month, EU foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, also announced plans by the 28-nation bloc to send 1,000 troops to the CAR, a former French colony.

In December 2013, France deployed 1,600 troops to the CAR after the UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution giving Paris and the African Union the go-ahead to send troops to the strife-torn country.

However, the deployment of the French and African Union forces has done little to end the ongoing violence in the country.

Earlier this week, Paris announced that it would send 400 more soldiers to the African country.

CAR President Catherine Samba-Panza has also urged France to keep its soldiers in the country. France is expected to vote on its military presence in the CAR on February 25. Its mission’s mandate will expire in two months.

The CAR has been facing deadly unrest since December last year, when Christian militia launched coordinated attacks against the mostly Muslim Seleka group, which toppled the government in March 2013.

Christian militia in the country has been raging violence against Muslims, many of whom have escaped the country to avoid being killed by the militia.

Fierce fighting in the African country reportedly claimed over 1,000 lives and forced about one million people to flee their homes last month.