The 560-strong force is to protect UN workers as the country faces serious security challenges.

The UN Security Council on Tuesday, October 29, 2013, approved an initial 250-strong special military force to protect UN workers in the Central African Republic, CAR, in carrying out their humanitarian operations where over half of the 4.6 million population is in need of assistance, the BBC reported.

A Security Council resolution passed on October 8, 2013, allowed for special protection measures in CAR. UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, requested the force last week, saying the "absence" of national security forces had increased violence since Sèléka rebels overthrew President François Bozizé last March.

The 250 UN troops, to be taken from an existing peacekeeping force, will be based in the capital, Bangui. The force will later be strengthened to 560 troops to enable it deploy to areas outside the capital where the UN is present. Speaking at a press conference, UN Humanitarian Director, John Ging, warned that the scale of suffering in the country – already among the worst in the world - was getting worse.

John Ging, who has just been to the country, described events there as chaotic. The Voice of America, VOA radio cited him as saying that tens of thousands of people have sought shelter in churches, mosques and community centres. He added that armed groups were committing "indescribable" atrocities against civilians.  

The African Union is about to deploy a 3,600-strong peacekeeping mission to CAR. It will incorporate a regional force already on the ground. Earlier last month, France said it was sending more troops to its former colony where it already has about 400 troops at Bangui Airport.

The Central African Republic is one of the poorest countries in Africa. It has huge deposits of precious minerals, but has been plagued by chronic instability since independence in 1960.