The Central African Republic has never fully recovered from France's colonial rule, and it has only known ten years of a civilian government - from 1993 to 2003 - since achieving independence in 1960. Coup after coup, often with French military involvement, has led many to refer to the country as a phantom state. The current conflict has now completely erased the rule of law and order, and left the UN and international community looking confused and impotent.
