Off the wire
• Feature: Caricature leads Palestinian deaf children out of silent world  • 5 militants killed, 13 wounded in N. Afghanistan clash  • 3 men sentenced to life in jail over 2002-2003 Mumbai blasts  • Vietnamese PM Nguyen Tan Dung relieved from duty  • Feature: Chinese tourists revive Egypt's tourism amid recession  • Chinese economy can avoid hard landing in years to come: FitchRatings  • 56 pct fewer China firms go public in Q1  • 8 militants killed during police operations in Pakistan  • Senior CPC official meets Cuban leader on ties  • 7 killed, 22 taken ill after consuming spurious liquor in India  
You are here: 　 Home

France withdraws its forces from Central African Republic

Xinhua, April 6, 2016 Adjust font size:

France has withdrawn its Sangaris forces from the Central African Republic, an official source said Tuesday, reiterating an announcement made during the swearing in ceremony of the country's President Faustin Archange Touadera on March 30 in Bangui.

Sangaris is the name given to the military operation deployed in December 2013 with an official objective of stopping violence that was going on in Central African Republic, and to disarm combatants of ex-Seleka rebels as well as their anti-Balaka rival militia.

"The progressive return of peace and stability as well as effective deployment of UN peacekeepers will allow gradual disengagement of French forces from operation Sangaris, as it was announced on March 30 by French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian during the swearing in of Touadera," the French Embassy in Yaounde said in a statement.

"With permission from Cameroonian authorities, materials and vehicles for operation Sangaris were transported by air between Bangui and the Douala air base in Cameroon's commercial capital. They will be loaded on a ship at the Douala port," the statement continued.

According to French authorities, the entire operation of transporting French military materials via the Cameroonian territory was conducted under the escort of Cameroonian police.

According to official figures, the operation which cost about 100 million euros, had 1,600 soldiers, a number that was raised to 2,000 in February 2014, before being reduced to 900 in July 2015.

The French government hailed its troops for the reduction of violence in Central African Republic, but the transition government in Bangui and analysts accused the forces of having troubled relations with the protagonists in the crisis.

The French forces were equally accused of committing sexual abuse against civilians in Central African Republic.

Since getting independence from France in 1960, this was the seventh French intervention in Central African Republic where France has a permanent base at the Bangui international airport. Endit