UN to deploy 12,000 peacekeepers in Central African Republic

UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon has reaffirmed the UN's determination to deploy 12,000 peacekeepers in the Central African Republic (CAR), a country that has witnessed deadly violence for over a year.

Ban was speaking over the weekend after arriving in the country's capital Bangui for a surprise brief visit that lasted for a few hours, Xinhua reported.

The visit comes a few days before the UN Security Council votes on the proposal to send peacekeepers to the CAR to take over the charge from the African Union-led International Support Mission for the CAR (MISCA).

"I want to continue to urge the international community to act promptly to deploy the soldiers," Ban said.

In December 2013, the UN Security Council authorised the deployment of 2,000 French soldiers and 6,000 African soldiers to help restore order in Bangui. Unfortunately, violence perpetrated by the anti-Balaka militia and the ex-Seleka rebels has continued across the country.

The CAR Red Cross has so far counted 1,400 dead people and 960 others have been injured since December 2013.

While in Bangui, Ban held talks with CAR's transitional President Catherine Samba Panza, religious leaders as well as members of parliament.

He also visited camps for the internally displaced persons at the Bangui airport and the main mosque in the capital which hosts mostly Muslims targeted by anti-Balaka militia.