The UN Secretary General seeks additional peacekeepers for the Central African Republic.

1:45 AM Saturday Feb 22, 2014

 

ATHENS, Greece (AP) European Union (click here) defense ministers say EU peacekeepers are expected to arrive in the Central African Republic in early March to help stop the sectarian violence that has claimed more than 1,000 lives and forced nearly 1 million people to flee.
Greek Defense Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos says the EU peacekeeping force's command center will be in Larissa, Greece. The 28-nation bloc plans to send at least 500 troops.
Avramopoulos spoke Friday after a two-day meeting of EU defense ministers in Athens.
About 1,600 French troops and 6,000 African peacekeepers already are deployed to deter bloodshed between the Muslim minority and Christian majority in the Central African Republic, a country of 4.6 million people that's roughly the size of Texas. France says it plans to deploy 400 more soldiers soon.

The BBC's Kassim Kayira joins 2,000 escapees on the dangerous journey to safety

20 February 2014 Last updated at 13:13 ET
 

Families wanting to escape Christian militias (click here) bent on wiping out the Central African Republic's Muslim community have been braving lynch mobs at road blocks to journey 650km (400 miles) to Cameroon.

They join a monthly convoy that snakes to and from Cameroon's border from the capital, Bangui - guarded by African Union peacekeepers.

“Start Quote Should I stay to see my children and husband or myself get killed?”  

Mariama Muslim woman fleeing Bangui

It is a form of ethnic cleansing in motion.

"I feel so sad leaving. I have never left this country before, says Mariama, a Muslim woman, before she boarded one of the vehicles as it prepared to leave Bangui.
"But four of my relatives were killed last week."
The old and the young were all rushing about her towards the vehicles - a mix of private cars and big trucks - to find a space to take them to safety....