UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 17 (UPI) -- U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said plans for a U.N. presence in Chad and the Central African Republic now include European Union forces.
Ban proposed that the EU send troops to the region in lieu of a U.N. force, allowing the international body to focus on training police and assisting civilians in protecting human rights and the rule of law, the United Nations said in a statement Friday.
The secretary-general said the Chadian government had raised concerns about a U.N. force in the region, but Chad President Idriss Deby has agreed in principle to an EU military presence, which the current plan states would spend 12 months protecting civilians in the troubled region and ensuring that humanitarian assistance is made available.
Ban's plan would put EU troops in Chad's Vakaga prefecture and a portion of Haute-Kotto prefecture in the Central African Republic.
The U.N. leader said he believes a multi-dimensional international presence in Chad and the CAR "could have a significant positive impact on the security situation there."
