The Central African Republic has asked the UN Security Council to approve deliveries of Chinese-made armoured vehicles, machine guns, tear gas grenades and other weaponry for its struggling army and police, according to the request obtained by AFP today.
Defence Minister Marie Noelle Koyara requested an exemption to an arms embargo, arguing that national forces are "confronted with the strength and escalating violence of armed groups whose illegal activities pose a threat to civil order."
In her request, the defence minister argued that tear gas would help gendarmerie and police deal with crowd control as the "units do not currently possess any of this equipment designed to maintain order."