Larisa HQ to operate for EU CAR mission

The EU decided, on Monday afternoon, to send a military contingent to the Central African Republic. In an effort to forestall a smoldering civil war from turning into a full blown racially/religiously precipitated genocide, the European Union may send 1,000 troops, in what will be the EU's first major military operation in six years

EU foreign ministers are planning to back a peacekeeping operation, designed to support French troops already in the Central African Republic. The EU will need a UN mandate for the mission, which the Security Council is likely to approve. Once the UN has given its blessing, the EU will begin planning the details of the deployment.

Brussels has assumed that the peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic (CAR) will last four to six months. The goal is to remain in the country until the African Union or an international peacekeeping force can take over security responsibilities.

The effort was discussed, it seems, between Greek foreign minister Evangelos Venizelos and his French counterpart Laurent Fabius during the former's recent visit to Paris. The Greek involvement in the effort does not involve sending troops to the beleaguered African nation. So far Greek military and political circles seem very positive about the idea.

The situation in the CAR is deteriorating daily with an estimated one million of the country's 4.5 million inhabitants already living as refugees, as Muslim and Christian militias are waging sectarian conflict on an ever increasing level. Meanwhile,John Ging, operations director for the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, warns of an escalation of violence that risks a genocide. He notes 2.6 million people need humanitarian assistance

Already some 1,600 crack French troops are in country trying to stop the bloodshed that has broken out since the Seleka Islamist coalition overthrew the government in 2013. The idea behind the EU involvement is that the mandated troops would secure the airport at Bangul, allowing the French troops that are already deployed to extend operations further.

Athens is trying to avoid the mobilization of the EU battlegroups as the spearhead of EU military capabilities has been rotated at this time to battlegroup HELBROC led by Greece and based in Kilkis, in the north part of the country. By offering the operational headquarters that will undertake operation, under a Greek commander, Greece may avoid the involvement of HELBROC. However, the 1400 men of the brigade (of which 1,050 belong to the Greek 71^st Air Mobile brigade) are the ones that are now earmarked for missions.

The EU wants a UN mandate for its mission. In the opposite event, there will be second thoughts about the block's involvement.

Meanwhile, main opposition SYRIZA's defense and foreign policy sector issued an announcement according to which they decry any help Greece might give the EU within the framework of a mission to the CAR, noting that “after centuries of violent colonialist and catastrophic robbery of African peoples, European neo-colonialists are returning today under the guise of a humanitarian intervention to a crisis they stoked through their policies of divide and conquer.”

The announcement also attacks the government of Francois Hollande, which it calls neo-liberal, saying that after harsh measures imposed on the french people, it's rushing to expeditions as a “mercenary of big business, and its interests.” SYRIZA warns the Greek government against “renting” Greek troops for neo-colonialist adventurism.

The communist party KKE, also calls for a condemnation of any EU and Greek involvement in the CAR and notes that these plans show the imperialist nature of NATO and the EU.