France, Britain and the US on Thursday put a hold on a request from the Central African Republic (CAR) for UN Security Council approval of Chinese weapons deliveries for its national forces.
Central African Minister of National Defense, Veterans, War Victims and Restructuring of the Army Marie-Noelle Koyara on Tuesday last week asked a UN sanctions committee to grant an exemption to an arms embargo and allow the shipments of Chinese-made armored vehicles, machine guns, tear gas grenades and other weaponry for its army and police.
France said it had concerns about “some lethal equipment included in this exemption request,” citing anti-aircraft weapons and ammunitions, a document obtained by reporters showed.
The French mission to the UN requested “additional justifications concerning this lethal equipment in order to be able to take a decision,” the document showed.
The US said that there was “no threat of an air attack” in the Central African Republic and questioned deliveries of eight grenade launchers, four anti-aircraft machine guns and anti-personnel grenades and rockets.
Britain said it was concerned that the shipments would pass through Cameroon unescorted to the border with the Central African Republic.
In her request to the UN, Koyara said the weaponry would help strengthen national forces who are “confronted with the strength and escalating violence of armed groups whose illegal activities pose a threat to civil order.”
The council imposed an arms embargo on the Central African Republic in 2013, when the country descended into bloodshed, but its sanctions committee last year gave the green light for Russia to supply weapons to national forces.
China wants to donate military equipment that includes 12 armored vehicles and four assault vehicles, 50 pistols, six sniper rifles, 10 submachine guns with silencers and about 30 machine guns of various calibers.
The list of equipment from China’s Poly Technologies also includes 300 rockets, 500 anti-tank grenades, about 725,000 rounds of ammunition of various types and 15,000 tear gas grenades.
The request for the Chinese weaponry is backed by an EU military training mission and by the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), which has come under repeated attacks from armed groups.
Five peacekeepers have been killed this year.
In its note detailing objections, the US mission to the UN argued that special training was needed to operate the grenade launchers, “which we are not certain has been provided.”
Most of the armored vehicles and other weaponry would be used by special forces trained by Rwanda and certified by MINUSCA.
Central African gendarmerie and police units were trained by the UN force.
In her request, Koyara said the tear gas would help gendarmerie and police with crowd control.
FLYBY: The object, appears to be traveling more than 60 kilometers per second, meaning it is not bound by the sun’s orbit, astronomers studying 3I/Atlas said Astronomers on Wednesday confirmed the discovery of an interstellar object racing through the solar system — only the third-ever spotted, although scientists suspect many more might slip past unnoticed. The visitor from the stars, designated 3I/Atlas, is likely the largest yet detected, and has been classified as a comet, or cosmic snowball. “It looks kind of fuzzy,” said Peter Veres, an astronomer with the International Astronomical Union’s Minor Planet Center, which was responsible for the official confirmation. “It seems that there is some gas around it, and I think one or two telescopes reported a very short tail.” Originally known as A11pl3Z before
Hundreds of protesters marched through the Mexican capital on Friday denouncing gentrification caused by foreigners, with some vandalizing businesses and shouting “gringos out!” The demonstration in the capital’s central area turned violent when hooded individuals smashed windows, damaged restaurant furniture and looted a clothing store. Mexico City Government Secretary Cesar Cravioto said 15 businesses and public facilities were damaged in what he called “xenophobic expressions” similar to what Mexican migrants have suffered in other countries. “We are a city of open arms... there are always ways to negotiate, to sit at the table,” Cravioto told Milenio television. Neighborhoods like Roma-Condesa
‘CONTINUE TO SERVE’: The 90-year-old Dalai Lama said he hoped to be able to continue serving ‘sentient beings and the Buddha Dharma’ for decades to come The Dalai Lama yesterday said he dreamed of living for decades more, as the Buddhist spiritual leader prayed with thousands of exiled Tibetans on the eve of his 90th birthday. Thumping drums and deep horns reverberated from the Indian hilltop temple, as a chanting chorus of red-robed monks and nuns offered long-life prayers for Tenzin Gyatso, who followers believe is the 14th reincarnation of the Dalai Lama. Looking in good health, dressed in traditional maroon monk robes and a flowing yellow wrap, he led prayers — days after confirming that the 600-year-old Tibetan Buddhist institution would continue after his death. Many exiled Tibetans
BRICS leaders are to meet in Rio de Janeiro from today, with the bloc depleted by the absence of Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), who is skipping the annual summit of emerging economies for the first time in 12 years. The grouping meets as its members face imminent and costly tariff wars with the US. Conceived two decades ago as a forum for fast-growing economies, the BRICS have come to be dominated by Beijing, which grew much faster and larger than the rest. China has not said why Xi would miss the summit, a first since he became president in 2013. “I expect there
RSS