Top stories from DAWNS Digest
Ban Ki Moon Recommends Huge Peacekeeping Expansion in CAR
The Secretary General wants the current AU force transformed into a UN Peacekeeping operation of deploying 11,820 Blue Helmets. “In a report to the 15 members of the UN Security Council, Ban specified that the peacekeeping mission should focus, in the initial stage, on “the protection of civilians” as part of a “military surge.” However, Ban warned that “the scale of the needs in the CAR is daunting” and it is understood that even in the best case, UN peacekeepers couldn’t be deployed for another six months because of the time required to mount such an operation.The mandate of the proposed force would be progressively expanded to support the political transition process, in particular restoring the government’s authority over the country and organizing elections (AFP http://yhoo.it/MIZNhC)
Bahrain Bombing Kills 3 Police Officers
A rare killing of security forces. Usually, it’s the other way around. “Three policemen were killed by a remotely detonated bomb in Bahrain on Monday during a protest in a village west of the capital Manama, the Interior Ministry said, in one of the worst incidents of violence in recent months. The United Arab Emirates said one of its police officers, serving in a Gulf Cooperation Council force operating in the island kingdom, was among the three dead officers, according to the UAE state news agency WAM. Bahrain’s main opposition groups condemned the bombing as a criminal act and urged followers to ensure that protesters use only peaceful means to push their demands for reforms.” (Reuters http://reut.rs/1cy376s)