nsnbc international
November 22, 2013

nsnbc , – French Foreign Minister, Laurent Fabius announced that France is planning to deploy troops to the Central African Republic (CAR), if the U.N. Security Council votes for a U.N. Intervention in December. Despite many common denominators with Ivory Coast and Mali, Fabius claims that “this intervention will be different from that in Mali”. 

“It will not be so massive nor as long” promised French Foreign Minister, Laurent Fabius, referring to the French involvement in Mali, where France still has 3.000 soldiers deployed.

Fabius stressed that “there is an absolute disorder in the CAR, and that “action must be taken as soon as possible to avoid tragedy”. France has been pressuring the United Nations for authorizing an intervention in the Central African Republic for months, and has increased the number of French troops in the country, that is plagued by clashes between a number of foreign-backed militias to almost 600.

French Eagerness to “Intervene” and Non-Humanitarian Common Denominators with Ivory Coast and Mali.

The Central African Republic has several features in common with Ivory Coast and Mali, where France has “intervened” since 2010.

• The CAR is rich in resources and holds considerable reserves of gold, diamonds and uranium.
• The CAR is a member of the UMEOA, uses the CFA-Franc, and has to deposit 65 % of all of its foreign currency reserves in France.
• Each time the CAR earns more on export than it spends abroad, it is creating a debt in France, rather than accumulating wealth for its population.
• France is “lending” the interest of the 65 % of the foreign currency reserves the CAR “has to deposit” in France, on which France earns about 3 % interest, back to the CAR and other UMEOA member states, at 5 – 6 % or more as “development aid”.
• The CAR has to deposit all of its gold reserves in the French “Tresor Nationale” against zero percent interest as a guaranty for the value of the CFA-Franc. Given the refusal of the French government to make any information available about its gold reserves, it is uncertain whether France could deliver the gold back, even if its government should decide to do so.

One of the conditions for “granting its former African colonies independence” was that “France installed commissars with veto rights” in the region’s three central banks, the, B.E.A.C., the B.C.C., and the B.C.E.A.O.

A detailed article about the virtually absolute French control over the 15 Central African nation’s economies has been published by Christof Lehmann under the title:

” French Africa Policy Damages African and European Economies – Bleeding Africa and Feeding France, the Face of French Modo-Colonialism”.

The confidence of French Foreign Minister, Laurent Fabius, that the UN will give permission to intervene under a UN mandate may in part be based on a statement by U.N. Secretary General Ban Kyi-moon, last Monday, that “he may be prepared to send peacekeepers”. The Secretary General stressed that further tensions between communities might well lead to uncontrollable sectarian violence with untold consequences for the country, the sub-region and beyond.

The country, with its population of 4.6 million, has descended into chaos since March, when the predominantly Muslim Seleka insurgents, many of them mercenaries from neighboring Chad and Sudan, ousted the country’s president, Francois Bozize.

The Seleka insurgents relied on the support of a loose coalition or local warlords, militia and criminal networks who have begun fighting each other for control since September. The renown Africa expert Alexander Mezyaev argues that the “failed state concept” with regards to the instability in the CAR may be related to the covering-up of international crimes. Recently, attacks were also launched against Magistrates in the capital Bangui.

U.N. Mission a French Attempt to assert French Control, countering African Initiatives.

The French push for an intervention at the U.N. is by many analysts understood as a French attempt to assert control over the CAR and to maintain French hegemony over its former colonies. Although the USA ultimately may be “pulled into another French military adventure”, U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry has made it clear that Washington would prefer that the African Union intervenes.

Considering the political economics it is understandable that France much rather would see a French led “intervention” under a U.N. Mandate, than an initiative that asserted African countries control of the African continent.

The African Union (A.U.) has already deployed 2.500 troops and is discussing to strengthen the mission with additional troops.

On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry, pledged USD 40 million towards the African Union, sending a signal to Fabius and France, that the USA is not particularly interested in getting involved in a CAR mission, while it has more than enough to do with managing the subversion of Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and the involvements it already has on the African continent.

The result of French involvement in the 15 UMEOA member states, and how it manifests with regards to the Central African Republic, which with its richness in gold, diamonds and uranium, fertile, prime agricultural land and a population of no more than 4.6 million could be more prosperous than any of the European nations, is best understood by considering the CAR ranks 180th of 186 on the United Nations Human Development Index.

Ch/L – nsnbc 22.11.2013

For a detailed breakdown of the French control over the national economies of the 15 Central African U.M.E.O.A. member states, and the impact on the development of these countries as well as on regional stability and peace, please read Christof Lehmann’s article:

French Africa Policy Damages African and European Economies.

Other related articles:

Central African Intrigue; The Coup in the Central African Republic

Central Africa: Failed State Concept to Cover International Crimes

South Africa; Zuma accused of violating Constitution in Central African Republic Coup d´Etat