Upsurge in Bangui tension

Citing a "sudden upsurge in tension" in Bangui, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan recommended on Thursday that the strength of the UN Mission in the CAR (MINURCA) be increased by 148 troops. In a report to the UN Security Council, received by IRIN on Monday, Annan said a series of recent violent incidents involving the Chadian community in the city had created a "climate of widespread fear and insecurity among civilians." The entry into the country of some 5,000 Congolese soldiers fleeing the rebel capture of Gbadolite in the DRC earlier this month had also fueled tensions. The upsurge in tension was "a serious cause of concern as the country approaches the presidential elections," now scheduled for 29 August, the report said. Political parties preparing for the elections have begun to exchange "mutual accusations of non-democratic behaviour and the amassing of arms," Annan said in the report. The delay in the promulgation of laws to restructure the CAR armed forces and the lack of progress in limiting the duties of the presidential guard (FORSDIR) were other sources of concern, the report added. The proposed troop increase would bring MINURCA's military component to 1,498.