There are about fifty army troops who have joined the EU's multinational force since the last 15 june in the capital of the African country last week with the aim of creating a secure environment and allowing humanitarian assistance to the civilian population threatened by violent internal clashes between opposing factions that began at the end of the 2013, which caused thousands of casualties and the exodus of more than one million and three hundred thousand people.
In response to the crisis, the European Union has implemented a political, military and humanitarian and development assistance initiative. The EUFOR RCA military component in Bangui currently consists of around 750 soldiers from different nations and also includes a police force.
The activities take place within the framework of UN resolution 2134 of 28 January 2014 and the decision of the European Council of 10 February, with which a military stabilization operation was respectively authorized and then constituted to ensure the transition towards the United Nations mission in perspective. called MINUSCA.
In a national context, the mission was included in the decree of the Council of Ministers of last July 23, which extends international missions until December 31, 2014 and follows Italy's decision to join the mission announced at the end of the European Union summit - Africa last April.
The Italian military contribution is constituted by a detachment of the 8 ° regiment of geniuses of the paratroop brigade 'Folgore', to which are added some elements in the EUFOR RCA command staff in Bangui.
Among the tasks envisaged for the engineers are to ensure the mobility of European forces, the remediation of war residuals and the implementation of basic infrastructure works in favor of the population and local government; Italian engineers will have among other things the task of monitoring an important reconstruction project of a bridge, funded by the EU and entrusted to local companies.
The Italian contingent will have a large fleet of engineers and a large number of 'Lince' armored vehicles equipped with a remotely 'Hitrole' turret, the Italian high-tech weapon system developed for the protection of crews.
Source: EUFOR
