Central African Republic rebel leader Michel Djotodia vowed to maintain a power-sharing government after his fighters ousted President Francois Bozize in clashes in which 13 South African soldiers were killed.
Djotodia, in remarks reported yesterday by Radio France Internationale after his Seleka rebels took control of the capital, Bangui, said he would keep Nicolas Tiangaye, a former opposition leader, as prime minister. A presidential inauguration ceremony for Djotodia was planned for today, RFI said.
“I don’t know how long I will remain in power,” Djotodia was quoted as saying. Within three years, “we will organize free and transparent elections.”
Bozize, 66, left Bangui after the insurgents seized the city, Central African Republic’s consul to Gabon, Claude Ayo- Iguendha, said in an interview in the Gabonese capital, Libreville. France, which Ayo-Iguendha said has about 1,200 citizens living in Bangui, sent troops to the country to help protect them.
The Central African Republic has been plagued by violence since independence from France in 1960, with at least four battles for Bangui taking place from 1996 to 2003, when Bozize toppled predecessor Ange-Felix Patasse, whom he served as army chief. Seleka began their rebellion in December after accusing Bozize of failing to honor a 2008 peace accord. An agreement signed in Libreville in January ended the fighting. The rebels resumed combat last week after Bozize failed to meet a new set of demands.
[h=2]Bozize Flees[/h]Bozize arrived yesterday in the Cameroonian border town of Kentzou, about 392 kilometers (243 miles) east of the capital, Yaounde, the governor of the East Region, Samuel Dieudonne Ivaha Diboua, said by telephone today. Bozize is currently in the East Region’s capital, Bertoua, he said.
South African President Jacob Zuma said 13 South African soldiers were killed in the fighting in Bangui and 27 were wounded. Clashes between 200 South African troops and about 1,000 rebels lasted nine hours, he told reporters today in Pretoria, the nation’s capital.
Soldiers from the Congo Republic, France, Gabon and South Africa were deployed in Central African Republic after the Libreville agreement was signed.
The African Union called the rebel’s seizure of the capital a “flagrant violation” of the peace agreement and said it would consider suspending the country from the regional body and imposing sanctions.
[h=2]‘Deeply Concerned’[/h]United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned the “unconstitutional seizure of power” and said he was “deeply concerned by reports of serious violations of human rights.”
French President Francois Hollande boosted his country’s military presence in Bangui “to ensure, if necessary, the protection of French residents,” according to a statement yesterday from the president’s office in Paris. He urged “all parties to remain calm and for talks to take place around the government formed under the Libreville accord.”
Under that agreement, Bozize’s administration and the rebels agreed to form a government of national unity. Tiangaye was appointed prime minister, while Seleka was given five Cabinet posts, including the Defense Ministry.
The U.S. urged Seleka’s leadership to establish law and order and restore basic electric and water services. The U.S. also wants the rebels to recognize the legitimacy of the country’s power-sharing government and welcomed the continued engagement of regional leaders from Chad and the Congo Republic in negotiating a political solution, Victoria Nuland, a spokeswoman for the U.S. State Department, said in a statement.
[h=2]Rights Abuses[/h]“We are very concerned by the worsening humanitarian situation in CAR and credible, widespread reports of human rights abuses by both national security forces and Seleka fighters,” she said. “Perpetrators of such abuses must be held accountable.”
The International Committee of the Red Cross yesterday called for an end to fighting.
“We have observed scenes of looting,” Georgios Georgantas, head of the ICRC delegation in the Central African Republic, said in a statement. “We are calling on all parties to the conflict to spare civilians.”
Pangea Diamondfields Inc., an Isle of Man-based exploration company, owns a concession in Central African Republic that is currently on care and maintenance, according to the company’s website. Axmin Inc. (AXM), a Canadian gold explorer, said Jan. 7 it delayed plans to open a mine in the country by at least a year because of the rebellion.
The country has a gross domestic product of about $3.6 billion and earns most of its foreign currency from timber and diamond exports, according to the CIA World Factbook.
To contact the reporters on this story: Antoine Lawson in Libreville at [email protected]; Crispin Dembassa in Abuja at [email protected]
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Paul Richardson at [email protected]
Enlarge image
[h=3]Central African Republic Rebel Leader Michel Djotodia[/h]
Patrick Fort/AFP/Getty Images
Central African Republic rebel leader Michel Djotodia was quoted as saying, “I don’t know how long I will remain in power.”
Central African Republic rebel leader Michel Djotodia was quoted as saying, “I don’t know how long I will remain in power.” Photographer: Patrick Fort/AFP/Getty Images
Djotodia, in remarks reported yesterday by Radio France Internationale after his Seleka rebels took control of the capital, Bangui, said he would keep Nicolas Tiangaye, a former opposition leader, as prime minister. A presidential inauguration ceremony for Djotodia was planned for today, RFI said.
“I don’t know how long I will remain in power,” Djotodia was quoted as saying. Within three years, “we will organize free and transparent elections.”
Bozize, 66, left Bangui after the insurgents seized the city, Central African Republic’s consul to Gabon, Claude Ayo- Iguendha, said in an interview in the Gabonese capital, Libreville. France, which Ayo-Iguendha said has about 1,200 citizens living in Bangui, sent troops to the country to help protect them.
The Central African Republic has been plagued by violence since independence from France in 1960, with at least four battles for Bangui taking place from 1996 to 2003, when Bozize toppled predecessor Ange-Felix Patasse, whom he served as army chief. Seleka began their rebellion in December after accusing Bozize of failing to honor a 2008 peace accord. An agreement signed in Libreville in January ended the fighting. The rebels resumed combat last week after Bozize failed to meet a new set of demands.
[h=2]Bozize Flees[/h]Bozize arrived yesterday in the Cameroonian border town of Kentzou, about 392 kilometers (243 miles) east of the capital, Yaounde, the governor of the East Region, Samuel Dieudonne Ivaha Diboua, said by telephone today. Bozize is currently in the East Region’s capital, Bertoua, he said.
South African President Jacob Zuma said 13 South African soldiers were killed in the fighting in Bangui and 27 were wounded. Clashes between 200 South African troops and about 1,000 rebels lasted nine hours, he told reporters today in Pretoria, the nation’s capital.
Soldiers from the Congo Republic, France, Gabon and South Africa were deployed in Central African Republic after the Libreville agreement was signed.
The African Union called the rebel’s seizure of the capital a “flagrant violation” of the peace agreement and said it would consider suspending the country from the regional body and imposing sanctions.
[h=2]‘Deeply Concerned’[/h]United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned the “unconstitutional seizure of power” and said he was “deeply concerned by reports of serious violations of human rights.”
French President Francois Hollande boosted his country’s military presence in Bangui “to ensure, if necessary, the protection of French residents,” according to a statement yesterday from the president’s office in Paris. He urged “all parties to remain calm and for talks to take place around the government formed under the Libreville accord.”
Under that agreement, Bozize’s administration and the rebels agreed to form a government of national unity. Tiangaye was appointed prime minister, while Seleka was given five Cabinet posts, including the Defense Ministry.
The U.S. urged Seleka’s leadership to establish law and order and restore basic electric and water services. The U.S. also wants the rebels to recognize the legitimacy of the country’s power-sharing government and welcomed the continued engagement of regional leaders from Chad and the Congo Republic in negotiating a political solution, Victoria Nuland, a spokeswoman for the U.S. State Department, said in a statement.
[h=2]Rights Abuses[/h]“We are very concerned by the worsening humanitarian situation in CAR and credible, widespread reports of human rights abuses by both national security forces and Seleka fighters,” she said. “Perpetrators of such abuses must be held accountable.”
The International Committee of the Red Cross yesterday called for an end to fighting.
“We have observed scenes of looting,” Georgios Georgantas, head of the ICRC delegation in the Central African Republic, said in a statement. “We are calling on all parties to the conflict to spare civilians.”
Pangea Diamondfields Inc., an Isle of Man-based exploration company, owns a concession in Central African Republic that is currently on care and maintenance, according to the company’s website. Axmin Inc. (AXM), a Canadian gold explorer, said Jan. 7 it delayed plans to open a mine in the country by at least a year because of the rebellion.
The country has a gross domestic product of about $3.6 billion and earns most of its foreign currency from timber and diamond exports, according to the CIA World Factbook.
To contact the reporters on this story: Antoine Lawson in Libreville at [email protected]; Crispin Dembassa in Abuja at [email protected]
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Paul Richardson at [email protected]
Enlarge image
[h=3]Central African Republic Rebel Leader Michel Djotodia[/h]
Central African Republic rebel leader Michel Djotodia was quoted as saying, “I don’t know how long I will remain in power.”
Central African Republic rebel leader Michel Djotodia was quoted as saying, “I don’t know how long I will remain in power.” Photographer: Patrick Fort/AFP/Getty Images