CAR rebel leader vows to build government to bring calm

THE leader of rebels in Central African Republic has pledged to name a power-sharing government in an effort to defuse international criticism of Sunday’s coup that killed 13 South African soldiers and plunged the nation into fresh chaos.

Regional peacekeepers said that the leader of the Seleka rebel coalition, self-proclaimed president Michel Djotodia, yesterday appealed for their help in restoring order after his own men joined in a second day of looting in the capital, Bangui.

The rebels’ removal of president François Bozize was condemned by the United Nations and the African Union. But in a sign of pragmatism, the United States, France and regional ­power-broker Chad called on the insurgents to respect a January peace deal creating a unity government.

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About 5,000 Seleka fighters swept into the capital on Sunday after a lightning offensive in which they fought their way from the far north to the presidential palace in four days after the collapse of the power-­sharing agreement signed in the Gabonese capital, Libreville.

Cameroon confirmed yesterday that Mr Bozize had arrived, but said it was not giving him permanent refugee status.

The removal of Mr Bozize – who himself seized power in a 2003 coup backed by Chad – was the latest in a series of rebellions since the country won independence from France in 1960. Despite rich deposits of gold, diamonds and uranium, Central African Republic remains one of the world’s least developed and most unstable nations.

“We will respect the Libreville accord, which means a political transition of two to three years before elections,” Seleka spokesman Eric Massi said.

The Libreville deal – drafted by regional mediators after the rebels besieged Bangui in December – created a government drawn from Bozize loyalists, rebel leaders and the civilian opposition. Mr Massi said that civilian opposition member Nicolas Tiangaye would remain as prime minister, with a rejigged cabinet.

In the sprawling capital, 600,000 residents remained without power and running water for a third day, preventing Mr Djotodia from making a planned national address from the presidential palace.

Despite a curfew, there was widespread pillaging of offices, public buildings and businesses by rebels and civilians.

“Public order is the biggest problem right now,” said General Jean Felix Akanga, commander of the regional African peacekeeping force. “Seleka’s leaders are struggling to control their men. The president has asked us to help restore calm.”

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Two heavily armed columns of insurgents in pick-up trucks stormed into Bangui on Sunday, brushing aside a South African force of 400 troops which attempted to block their path.

South Africa’s president, Jacob Zuma, said at least 13 soldiers were killed and 27 others wounded in the fighting, an embarrassing snub to its efforts to project its power in the ­resource-rich heart of Africa.

He said: “The actions of these bandits will not deter us from our responsibility of working for peace and stability in Africa.”

South Africa’s opposition Democratic Alliance called for a full inquiry into what it said was a “highly questionable deployment” of 200 troops into a de facto civil war without the support of helicopter gunships or military transport aircraft.

Mr Zuma said South Africa had not yet decided whether to withdraw its force, which he said had inflicted heavy casualties on the rebels during a nine-hour attack on their base.

But Thierry Vircoulon, a central African specialist at International Crisis Group, said: “This is complete disaster for South Africa. They did not at all understand they were backing the wrong horse. They did not consult within the region.”

Seleka – a loose coalition of five rebel groups whose name means “alliance” in the Songo language – was formed last year after Mr Bozize failed to implement power-sharing in the wake of disputed 2011 elections boycotted by the opposition.

It resumed hostilities last Thursday, accusing the president of violating January’s peace deal by failing to integrate 2,000 of its fighters into the army.

Mr Vircoulon added: “The cohesion of Seleka will be tested now they are in full control.”

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