By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, March 17 – With fighting resumed for a week in the Central African Republic, the UN Security Council and France which “holds the pen” on the fate of its former colony have done nothing.
On March 13, Inner City Press asked the UN's envoy to CAR Margaret Vogt, who happened to be in New York on vacation, what action she'd want from the Security Council.Video here.
Her first answer, seeming to reflect a lack of urgency, was that she would brief the Council in April. Then she added that perhaps the Secretary General could say something publicly before then.
Some doubt that the Seleka rebels in CAR are much concerned with another expression of “deep concern” from Ban Ki-moon. France is distracted in another unraveling former colony, Mali.
And in the Security Council, the control of the pen or right to draft is jealously guarded by former colonists. Russia was recently chided for proposing a draft press statement about Sudan, even though Russia is the president of the Security Council for March.
So what will happen with CAR? Does anyone in the Security Council care? Watch this site.
Update of March 18: Inner City Press asked French Ambassador Gerard Araud, on the morning of March 18, "what about Central African Republic?" He said that there would be consultation sometime this week. Not much CAR alarm...
