Pakistani peacekeepers serving with the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) arrive in Bangui on 11 September 2014.
Fighting broke out in CAR when the mainly Muslim Seleka alliance seized power in a coup in March 2013. UN agencies estimate that 2 million people, almost half of the population, are in need of assistance. The Security Council voted on 10 April 2014 to send 12,000 peacekeepers to help return order to CAR.
The UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) will take over responsibilities of MISCA on 15 September 2014 which will initially comprise up to 10,000 military personnel, including 240 military observers and 200 staff officers, as well as 1,800 police personnel.
UN Photo/Catianne Tijerina
A roadside bomb explosion in the Central African Republic claimed the lives of three UN peacekeepers and injured a number of other soldiers, as reported by the UN peacekeeping operation.
According to the UN mission MINUSCA, the bombing occurred on Monday at Kaita Hamlet in the northwest, close to the Cameroonian border.
The peacekeepers from Bangladesh were killed when one of their trucks struck an explosive device while they were on patrol.
A demonstration by the students of Bangui Technical High School or two MINUSCA vehicles was burned by the protesters. The peacekeepers are increasing their effective presence in the city of Bangui.
The leader of the UN peacekeeping mission Jean-Pierre Lacroix, offered condolences to Bangladesh and the families of the troops who died in the attack. The attack has not been attributed to any group yet, but MINUSCA announced that it has started an investigation.
Since the beginning of the civil war in 2013, the Central African Republic has been beset by violence and insecurity.
