WASHINGTON, Nov. 21 (UPI) -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said there's no evidence to suggest the government in the Central African Republic can address national security issues.
"At this moment, the United States sees no evidence that the CAR transitional government has the capacity or political will to end the violence, especially the abuses committed by elements of the Seleka rebel alliance that are affiliated with the government," he said in a statement Wednesday.
Seleka topped the government in March, though the country has little experience with a durable or democratic central government. Seleka is suspected of committing human rights abuses in CAR and a senior State Department official warned this week the conflict was growing more severe.
Kerry said the State Department planned to provide $40 million to support an African Union-led peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic, a mission he said may be the "best mechanism" to end the cycle of violence in CAR.
"We call on the region and the international community to support and fully deploy [the mission] in order to restore security in the country," he said.
Kerry said there are an estimated 400,000 people displaced by violence in CAR. Most of the civilian population is in need of some form of humanitarian assistance.
