Question:
On February 20, 2014, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for the rapid deployment of additional military forces to Central Africa to prevent the security situation from deteriorating. This is despite France having already sent 2,000 soldiers alongside African forces, which grew to over 5,000 after the Security Council issued a resolution on December 5, 2013, to intervene militarily in Central Africa. Christian militias have committed horrific and brutal acts against Muslims, including killing, burning, cannibalism, destroying homes, looting property, and displacement. Michel Djotodia, the first president of Muslim origin in the Central African Republic, resigned on January 10, 2014, and the election of Catherine Samba-Panza as president was announced on January 20, 2014. America has announced its support for the African force and called for elections before February 2015. What is the reality of the conflict there? How did the situation explode? What are the causes of the crisis, and where is it headed?
Answer:
To answer this, we must first examine the situation of Muslims in Central Africa, the history of coups, and their relationship with the international struggle and its consequences:
1- The percentage of Muslims in Central Africa is estimated to be between 15% and 20% of its population of approximately 5 million. however, this percentage is questionable given the extent of the Muslim presence in the country. These statistics are neither neutral nor honest, as they often deliberately underestimate the proportion of Muslims for various factors... Therefore, it is likely that the percentage of Muslims exceeds this estimate... The remaining percentage is shared between Christians and animists... Muslims are spread throughout the capital, Bangui, where they have built many mosques and Quranic schools. They are also present in many other major cities and provinces, especially in the north, where an Islamic Sultanate was established at the end of the 17th century when several Sultans from the Islamic Sultanate of Baguirmi in southern Chad migrated there after the fall of their Sultanate. Many animists converted to Islam at their hands, just as many had in southern Chad. It should be noted that Islam entered the northern region of Central Africa in the 13th century, and some tribes converted, such as the Runga tribe centered in the Birao region, the capital of the north, and the Vakaga tribe centered in Birao, the capital of the northeast—one of the richest areas in gold, diamonds, and uranium. There are groups of Muslims who arrived in these areas in the 18th and 19th centuries for various reasons and contributed with their brothers to the effort to expel French colonialism from the country. Muslims from West Africa, from the Hausa and Fulani tribes, also migrated there and constitute the highest percentage in the southwestern regions bordering Cameroon. The regime, backed by France—especially the Patassé regime—worked to isolate Muslims from animists for fear of the spread of Islam among them. It even moved to exclude Muslims from the government and public offices. Consequently, Muslims turned toward trade; thus, after the massacres of Muslim traders, trade stopped, and a severe food shortage appeared among the residents of the capital, Bangui.
2- French colonialism entered Central Africa in 1885, and France established a base in Bangui. The region officially became a French colony in 1894. When France granted it "formal independence" in 1960, it handed over the country's affairs to the Christians. Its influence and colonization remained as before, with France installing Christian rulers either through coups or so-called elections... France installed David Dacko as the first president upon granting formal independence. However, after only two years of rule, tyranny began to emerge, and he launched campaigns of repression against his opponents. America, which was creeping toward Africa, exploited this situation. The Soviet Union at the time was working to fight "old colonialism" after agreeing on this with America in 1961; these two countries, which announced a policy of "detente," had an influence in inciting African peoples against the old colonialists. France feared for its influence in the country, so it pushed Chief of Staff Jean-Bédel Bokassa in 1966 to carry out a coup and tighten his grip on power. He later appointed the former president David Dacko as his advisor, indicating that the coup was merely an arrangement by France to stand in the face of the American-Soviet offensive by appointing a military tyrant to strike anyone standing against French influence. Bokassa continued his tyranny and consolidated his regime to protect French influence until he declared himself Emperor in 1976! He glorified the French to the point that he called the French President at the time, De Gaulle, "Papa" and made his country a playground for the French. Many rumors spread about Bokassa, including cannibalism and the killing of children, and international public opinion was stirred against him. France then intervened with its troops stationed there to remove him from power and re-installed David Dacko as president in 1979. Then the army, led by General André Kolingba, carried out a coup in September 1981 and removed Dacko from power. After France succeeded in toppling the pro-American Habré in Chad and bringing in its agent Idriss Déby in 1990, France's power in Central Africa strengthened because Chad is considered a pillar for supporting French influence there... Thus, France saw its influence consolidated in Central Africa and wanted to dye the rule in this country with a democratic color! It decided to distance the army from power and hold new elections. Presidential elections were held in 1993, and Félix Patassé, who was linked to France and had led the opposition, was declared the winner. What pushed France to do this was to absorb the impact of calls for democracy that America was focusing on in Africa to topple old colonialism and replace it. Thus, France established a government through elections and an opposition led by Reverend François Bozizé, which included various ethnic groups, including Muslims. That opposition resented Patassé's corruption and his persecution of the opposition, especially Muslims. The opposition moved toward an armed rebellion... France then decided to replace Patassé and brought in the opposition leader, Reverend Bozizé, as President of the Republic on March 15, 2003. Muslims helped him reach power... But Bozizé turned his back on those who supported him among the Muslims and the opposition that was with him, ignoring them and viewing them as enemies! He entrusted his protection to a French security company led by the retired French general Jean-Pierre Perez, then held elections in 2005 and 2011, declaring his victory in each... During these periods, a new rebellion appeared against him, and the Séléka movement emerged (meaning "alliance" or "agreement" between five organizations whose leaders were Muslims, the largest being led by Djotodia...). Despite all of Bozizé's theatrical elections, the situation in the country did not stabilize, and Bozizé's tyranny increased, especially against Muslims. Bozizé's regime pushed its forces to attack the property of Muslims, resulting in hundreds of victims as they defended themselves and their property...
3- Following this, a conference was held on January 11, 2013, in Libreville, the capital of Gabon, attended by President Bozizé and the Séléka movement to reach a solution... The conference revealed the extent of the injustice faced by Muslims in Central Africa, where even their most basic rights were denied... Accordingly, they demanded them—simple demands: recognition of Islam like other religions, official celebration of Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, and an end to the persecution of Muslims... But Bozizé was a master of procrastination. After agreeing to some of the demands of the Muslims and Séléka, and that this French agent would continue in power until 2016—and although the agreement guaranteed the continuation of Bozizé's rule despite his massacres... and although America supported the agreement as reported by the French news agency... despite all that, France and Bozizé procrastinated in implementing these simple rights. In fact, they turned against them and resumed their brutal actions against Muslims. Séléka then moved toward the palace and seized it on March 24, 2013, led by Michel Djotodia, who became president... Here, France screamed and wailed because Djotodia is of Muslim origin. Although he tried to please the West since taking office—as stated in his remarks when he declared himself interim president: "Central Africa is a secular state where Christians and Muslims live in a secular state. It is true that I am a Muslim, but it is my duty to serve my country and all the citizens of Central Africa." (March 31, 2013, Al-Khaleej). All this was to please the West, especially France and the Christians. He did not even disarm the Christian militias and kept them active. However, France did not recognize the new president, nor did its agents... France began to work against him vigorously because he is of Muslim origin, and its agents followed suit. Then France moved Central African leaders to hold a conference in N'Djamena, the capital of Chad, on April 3, 2013. Idriss Déby, the prominent French agent, addressed them saying: "It seems impossible for us to recognize a man who installed himself." (April 5, 2013, Al-Wasat). Although the Transitional Council announced on April 13, 2013, the election of Michel Djotodia as president, all of this did not help him because of his Muslim origin. France cut off support for this government, even though it plunders the country's wealth of uranium, gold, and diamonds, and then grants assistance to Central African governments only to cut it off when it sees fit, considering those resources its own property!
4- France began preparing the atmosphere for intervention and creating problems to justify it. It succeeded in obtaining a Security Council resolution on December 5, 2013, authorizing it to intervene militarily. The intervention took place on December 8, 2013. French President François Hollande called for the resignation of Michel Djotodia and early elections. For this reason, France held a regional African summit in N'Djamena, Chad, on January 10, 2014, and exerted pressure through this summit to force Djotodia to resign; he announced his resignation during the summit. The election of Samba-Panza, the mayor of Bangui, as interim president was announced on January 20, 2014. This was followed by brutal acts committed by Christian militias in full view of the French forces, which had disarmed more than 7,000 fighters from the Séléka movement under the pretext of maintaining security, but did not disarm the Christian militias—especially the ones known as Anti-Balaka—in fact, they supported them! After toppling President Djotodia, these militias committed atrocities more horrific than those of wild beasts: killing and burning Muslims, eating their flesh, and destroying their homes, mosques, schools, and institutions, and looting their property under the gaze of French and African forces. Even UN reports accused France of supporting Christian militias against unarmed Muslims after stripping them of any weapons they could use to defend themselves... These crimes were so horrific that the new president admitted it, saying: "The Anti-Balaka have lost the meaning of their mission; today they are the ones who kill." She added: "They think I am weak because I am a woman, but from now on, the Anti-Balaka movement who want to kill will be prosecuted." (BBC Radio, February 12, 2014). The radio added: "Tens of thousands of Muslims have fled from Central Africa to Cameroon and Chad, while some have sought refuge in camps within the country. Amnesty International stated that militia attacks have led to a mass exodus of Muslims at historic rates. It described the situation in Central Africa as ethnic cleansing." Despite this, the country's president rejected this description, claiming instead that "what is happening in the country is a security problem"!
5- America tried to benefit from the massacres of the French and their agents in Central Africa. It worked to strengthen the African forces in Central Africa to be a parallel to the French forces, thereby ending French exclusivity in preparation for removing France and having America take its place or share it... People began accusing French forces of complicity with the criminal Christian militias, and calls for African forces rather than French ones escalated. This was supported by calls from American sources and UN sources where America exerts effective influence... Christopher Coons, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs, stated: "The committee held a hearing to determine what the United States can do to support multilateral efforts to ensure that African Union forces have the necessary capacity to enhance security and end the violence." (IIP Digital, US State Department website, December 23, 2013). The US Permanent Representative to the UN, Samantha Power, and Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, visited Bangui on December 19, 2013, to meet with transitional officials. Greenfield said: "We believe a strong mandate for the African Union mission to establish stability is what is needed now to confront and disarm armed groups and factions." (Previous source). In contrast, France worked to reinforce the international forces with troops from European countries to counter the African forces, which numbered 4,400, with 850 soldiers from Rwanda to be added. For this reason: "The French presidency decided on February 14, 2014, to send an additional 400 soldiers to Central Africa to reinforce its strength there to reach 2,000 soldiers. The French presidency statement said: This additional effort of 400 soldiers includes the early deployment of French combat forces that will later participate in the European Union military operation once it is deployed. It added in its statement: France calls on the European Union to accelerate the deployment of the EUFOR force, including the European Gendarmerie force. Diplomatic sources reported that the EU participation could be 900 soldiers, more than the 500 previously expected." (AFP, February 14, 2014). America decided to fund the African forces; Marie Harf, Deputy Spokesperson for the US State Department, stated: "We are deeply concerned by the escalation of violence in the Central African Republic, which has led to a growing humanitarian crisis and an increased risk of mass atrocities.
Yesterday, we voted in favor of a strong joint resolution in the Security Council that provides the African Union forces and the French forces supporting them the authority under Chapter VII to restore security and peace for a people who have suffered for too long. We intend to provide 40 million dollars in equipment, training, or logistical support for the AU forces and our French allies as long as the need exists." (IIP Digital, December 6, 2013). It is clear from the actions of these forces—whether from African countries influenced by America or French forces augmented by allied European forces—it is clear from the behavior of these forces, totaling about 8,000, that they are not there to protect security in the African Republic. They have done nothing to prevent the brutal acts and horrific massacres against Muslims, even though they could have if they were serious, as the country is small in population... Rather, it is a matter of competition over French and American influence, with the latter exerting every effort to knock on the door to insert its influence... Thus, the blood of Muslims being spilled and their flesh being devoured has become a wrestling arena where France and America dance while their feet sink into the blood of Muslims.
6- Accordingly, America is working to strengthen its influence in Central Africa by reinforcing the African forces and strengthening their mission. For this reason, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who follows American policy, asked the Security Council: "to quickly deploy an additional 3,000 soldiers to impose security and protect civilians..." (AFP, February 20, 2014). It is known that these will be from the African forces... It seems that America ultimately wants a political process and then elections in which it exploits the blood of Muslims to share influence with France in Central Africa! It is also expected that France will go along with America in political solutions so as not to lose everything, because this time is harder on it than any previous time, and it will then work to ensure its agents succeed in reaching power through elections as well.
7- In conclusion, the blood of Muslims has become a field of conflict between America and France for influence... They do not care if blood flows like rivers from Muslims, nor if the elderly, children, and women are tortured or even eaten alive... What matters to these disbelieving colonialist states is who stands at the end applauding over those corpses and remains... The colonialist disbelievers are one people; they do not observe toward a believer any kinship or treaty... Therefore, both sides focus on killing Muslims, no matter how different their methods and purposes may be, but they leave the Christian militias to roam freely and wallow in the blood of Muslims...
What is painful and sad is that Muslims have no one to weep for them; their blood is spilled horribly in Palestine, Burma, Kashmir, Chechnya, Tatarstan, Syria, and now in Central Africa, etc. The rulers in the Muslim lands serve the interests of the West, not the interests of Muslims; they look at the massacres as if they were in the lands of Waq-Waq or in another world, while those massacres are not an inch or an arm's length away from the lands under their control... Woe to them for what they do.
Finally, Muslims lack the Junnah (shield) that deters aggressors; they lack the Caliph, the shield, and the protection. Al-Bukhari narrated from Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (saw) said:
إِنَّمَا الإِمَامُ جُنَّةٌ يُقَاتَلُ مِنْ وَرَائِهِ وَيُتَّقَى بِهِ
"The Imam is but a shield, behind whom you fight and by whom you are protected."
وَيَقُولُونَ مَتَى هُوَ قُلْ عَسَى أَنْ يَكُونَ قَرِيبًا
"And they say, 'When is that?' Say, 'Perhaps it will be soon.'" (Surah Al-Isra [17]: 51)