France has called for a vote Thursday on a resolution that would authorize a nearly 12,000-strong U.N. peacekeeping force to take over from an African force less than half its size in Central African Republic which has been wracked by ethnic violence. According to AP, France's U.N. Mission said Wednesday it expects the Security Council to unanimously approve the resolution authorizing 10,000 troops and 1,800 police to replace more than 5,000 African Union soldiers on Sept. 15. The U.N. force would have a mandate to protect civilians, support the disarmament of combatants, and a return to law and order.
