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| U.S. Ambassador Visits Central African Republic Amid Bloodshed | U.S. Ambassador Visits Central African Republic Amid Bloodshed |
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| BANGUI, Central African Republic — The American ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, landed in this besieged capital early on Thursday with what she called a blunt and simple message: The United States is watching. | BANGUI, Central African Republic — The American ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, landed in this besieged capital early on Thursday with what she called a blunt and simple message: The United States is watching. |
| The trip, one of Ms. Power’s first since assuming her role at the United Nations, brings her to a country engulfed in deadly sectarian strife, with the goal of preventing further atrocities. It has raised expectations, and some tough questions. What, exactly, is the United States willing to do to stop Christians and Muslims here from killing one another, and how much is it willing to spend? | |
| Ms. Power said she had come to Central African Republic because she wanted to see the horror for herself. She is scheduled to meet with government leaders, peacekeepers, aid workers and civilians who survived machete-wielding militias to urge an immediate end to the violence that has alarmed officials around the world. | Ms. Power said she had come to Central African Republic because she wanted to see the horror for herself. She is scheduled to meet with government leaders, peacekeepers, aid workers and civilians who survived machete-wielding militias to urge an immediate end to the violence that has alarmed officials around the world. |
| “To take a plane in here at this stage is very important and very much a sign of the priority the president attaches to events on the ground and, ultimately, stabilization in the Central African Republic,” she said aboard an Air Force plane from Washington. | “To take a plane in here at this stage is very important and very much a sign of the priority the president attaches to events on the ground and, ultimately, stabilization in the Central African Republic,” she said aboard an Air Force plane from Washington. |
| The visit was all the more noteworthy because the United States has no apparent economic or strategic interests here. It does, however, have a stated interest in staving off another Rwanda — a mission that is particularly resonant for Ms. Power, who has built her reputation on alerting the world to mass atrocities. At least 600,000 people have been chased from their homes in this conflict, according to the United Nations. The dead have not been fully counted, but about 500 have been killed in the past month in the capital, Bangui, alone. | The visit was all the more noteworthy because the United States has no apparent economic or strategic interests here. It does, however, have a stated interest in staving off another Rwanda — a mission that is particularly resonant for Ms. Power, who has built her reputation on alerting the world to mass atrocities. At least 600,000 people have been chased from their homes in this conflict, according to the United Nations. The dead have not been fully counted, but about 500 have been killed in the past month in the capital, Bangui, alone. |
| Diplomats and human rights workers have praised Ms. Power for pushing for greater American involvement in Central African Republic. But it remains to be seen whether she can interest the Obama administration in funding a large, robust and costly United Nations peacekeeping mission here, which the United Nations Security Council has stopped short of authorizing. | Diplomats and human rights workers have praised Ms. Power for pushing for greater American involvement in Central African Republic. But it remains to be seen whether she can interest the Obama administration in funding a large, robust and costly United Nations peacekeeping mission here, which the United Nations Security Council has stopped short of authorizing. |
| “She has been the chief advocate for a stronger U.S. role in dealing with the situation in the Central African Republic, which has led Obama to rapidly scale up the amount of money the Americans are providing,” said Peter Bouckaert, a researcher at Human Rights Watch whose chilling report on the recent violence in the country was released on Thursday. “At the same time, going for a United Nations peacekeeping mission is a very expensive venture, and it is a commitment they’re not ready to make at the minute.” | “She has been the chief advocate for a stronger U.S. role in dealing with the situation in the Central African Republic, which has led Obama to rapidly scale up the amount of money the Americans are providing,” said Peter Bouckaert, a researcher at Human Rights Watch whose chilling report on the recent violence in the country was released on Thursday. “At the same time, going for a United Nations peacekeeping mission is a very expensive venture, and it is a commitment they’re not ready to make at the minute.” |
| What Ms. Power has done so far is leverage her diplomatic bullhorn creatively. She has called the transitional president, Michel Djotodia, twice, most recently on Sunday, when she expressed her concern about the ouster of three cabinet ministers. | What Ms. Power has done so far is leverage her diplomatic bullhorn creatively. She has called the transitional president, Michel Djotodia, twice, most recently on Sunday, when she expressed her concern about the ouster of three cabinet ministers. |
| “We wanted to make sure he heard directly from me President Obama’s great interest in the events in the Central African Republic,” she said of her conversation with Mr. Djotodia, who was installed this year by the Seleka, a group of mostly Muslim rebel fighters, after they overthrew the government. | “We wanted to make sure he heard directly from me President Obama’s great interest in the events in the Central African Republic,” she said of her conversation with Mr. Djotodia, who was installed this year by the Seleka, a group of mostly Muslim rebel fighters, after they overthrew the government. |
| Those who have worked with Ms. Power say that while she plays the role of the impassioned spokeswoman for human rights — on Twitter, she has repeatedly expressed outrage about the situation in Central African Republic — she is also capable of the bureaucratic calculations required to reach consensus with the rest of the Obama administration. | Those who have worked with Ms. Power say that while she plays the role of the impassioned spokeswoman for human rights — on Twitter, she has repeatedly expressed outrage about the situation in Central African Republic — she is also capable of the bureaucratic calculations required to reach consensus with the rest of the Obama administration. |
| The United States has contributed $100 million to a ground mission led by the African Union, including providing a pair of C-17 military cargo planes to transport troops from Burundi. It is now buying trucks to bring in soldiers from neighboring Cameroon. | The United States has contributed $100 million to a ground mission led by the African Union, including providing a pair of C-17 military cargo planes to transport troops from Burundi. It is now buying trucks to bring in soldiers from neighboring Cameroon. |
| France has sent 1,600 troops to Central African Republic, with logistical help from Britain. They have found it a tough go. Two French soldiers were killed in clashes this month. | France has sent 1,600 troops to Central African Republic, with logistical help from Britain. They have found it a tough go. Two French soldiers were killed in clashes this month. |
| The United Nations secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, has recommended a 6,000- to 9,000-troop peacekeeping mission under a United Nations command. American officials have been noncommittal, saying that it would take many months to mobilize a United Nations force and that a rapid French deployment, aided by African troops, may be a more efficient solution. | The United Nations secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, has recommended a 6,000- to 9,000-troop peacekeeping mission under a United Nations command. American officials have been noncommittal, saying that it would take many months to mobilize a United Nations force and that a rapid French deployment, aided by African troops, may be a more efficient solution. |
| It remains unclear how American officials can prevail on leaders to stop the violence in this vast, forested country. Mr. Djotodia is said to have some influence over the Seleka, or alliance, fighters, but their rivals — mostly Christian militias — are loosely organized and spread across the country, many parts of which are beyond the current reach of French and African forces. | It remains unclear how American officials can prevail on leaders to stop the violence in this vast, forested country. Mr. Djotodia is said to have some influence over the Seleka, or alliance, fighters, but their rivals — mostly Christian militias — are loosely organized and spread across the country, many parts of which are beyond the current reach of French and African forces. |
| Ms. Power has said nothing about American interests in Central African Republic, except to hint at the disasters that can occur in nations that Americans know little about. | Ms. Power has said nothing about American interests in Central African Republic, except to hint at the disasters that can occur in nations that Americans know little about. |
| “Somalia taught us what can happen in a failed state, and Rwanda showed us what can occur in a deeply divided one,” she said in a call with reporters on Wednesday before departing for Bangui. “People in the Central African Republic are in profound danger, and we have profound responsibility which we must meet to help them move away from the abyss.” | “Somalia taught us what can happen in a failed state, and Rwanda showed us what can occur in a deeply divided one,” she said in a call with reporters on Wednesday before departing for Bangui. “People in the Central African Republic are in profound danger, and we have profound responsibility which we must meet to help them move away from the abyss.” |