Courtesy of (Associated Press) by Kirubel Tadesse
BANGUI, Central African Republic (AP) -
Rebels in the Central African Republic on Monday rejected appeals for them to
halt their advances and to negotiate to form a coalition government.
The rebels had been urged Sunday by the
visiting leader of the African Union and by President Francois Bozize to stop
seizing cities and preparing to attack the capital, Bangui. The Seleka rebels
have taken 10 cities in Central African Republic's north in the past three
weeks and have moved within striking distance of the capital, Bangui, a city of
600,000.
AU president Thomas Boni Yayi, who is
the president of Benin, called on the rebels to enter into negotiations with
the aim of forming a government of national unity. Bozize also appealed to the
Seleka rebels to halt their advances and said he would agree to bring them into
the government.
But the rebels on Monday said they did
not trust Bozize's offer.
"We are not convinced of the
commitments made ??by President Bozize," said rebel spokesman Juma Narkoyo
when reached by telephone. "Bozize has always spoken, but he never keeps
his word."
The rebels - who call themselves Seleka
which means alliance in the local Sango language - said they would enter
negotiations "only if the head of state releases all our relatives they have
arrested without reason." The rebels claim that Bozize has abducted more
than a dozen of their family members. They warned if Bozize uses foreign troops
to protect his government, they may continue their campaign toward the capital.
In response the rebels were told by the
African Union that if they seize power they will face sanctions and Central
African Republic will be suspended from the organization.
The African Union rejects any attempt to
seize power forcefully, said chairwoman of the AU Commission Nkosazana Dlamini
Zuma on Monday. Any attempt to seize power unconstitutionally will result in
sanctions against the perpetrators and their total isolation, Zuma said at the
AU headquarters in Addis Ababa.
Zuma urged the rebels to immediately end
to their military offensive and to commit to dialogue with the view to finding
a lasting solution to the recurring instability experienced in the country.
French President Francois Hollande
Monday welcomed the efforts by the AU and the group of neighboring states to
find a negotiated solution. Hollande called for "opening a dialogue
between CAR authorities and all the parties present, including the
rebellion." Hollande last week said his government would only protect
French interests in CAR, but would not prop up the Bozize government.
Central African Republic has suffered
many army revolts, coups and rebellions since gaining independence from France
in 1960.
The rebels behind the current
instability signed a 2007 peace accord allowing them to join the regular army,
but insurgent leaders say the deal wasn't fully implemented.
The rebels have made a rapid advance
across the country's north and residents in the capital, Bangui, now fear the
insurgents could attack at any time, as the rebels' new remarks contradict earlier
earlier assurances that they are willing to engage in dialogue instead of
attacking the city.
On Saturday the rebels seized the city
of Sibut, 185 kilometers (114 miles) from Bangui. Sibut, a key transportation
hub, fell without a shot being fired because the Central African Republic army
and forces from neighboring Chad had pulled back to Damara, 75 kilometers (46
miles) from Bangui on Friday, said Minister of Territorial Administration Josie
Binoua.
Neighboring African countries have
agreed to send more forces to support the Bozize government.
Representatives from the 10-nation
Economic Community of Central African States, or ECCAS, agreed at a meeting in
Gabon Friday to send forces to CAR, but did not did not specify how many troops
would be sent or how quickly the military assistance would arrive.
The ECCAS states, with more than 500
soldiers via their regional peacekeeping force in Central Africa, over the
weekend warned the rebels to halt their advances.
The neighboring Republic of Congo sent
120 troops from Brazzaville Monday to bolster the regional force, according to
a New Year's statement from Congo president Denis Sassou Nguesso.
The ongoing instability prompted the
United States to evacuate about 40 people, including the U.S. ambassador, from Bangui
on an U.S. Air Force plane bound for Kenya, said U.S. officials who insisted on
anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the operation.
The United States has special forces
troops in the country who are assisting in the hunt for Joseph Kony, the
fugitive rebel leader of another rebel group known as the Lord's Resistance
Army. The U.S. special forces remain in the country, the U.S. military's Africa
Command said from its headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany.
The evacuation of the U.S. diplomats
came after criticism of how the U.S. handled diplomatic security before and
during the attack on its consulate in Benghazi, Libya, on Sept. 11. The
ambassador and three other Americans were killed in that attack.
China announced Mondaythat it is evacuating
its 300 citizens from CAR, although its embassy staff will stay.
French diplomats have remained in Bangui
despite a violent demonstration outside its embassy last week. Dozens of
protesters, angry at France's lack of help against rebel forces, threw rocks at
the French Embassy in Bangui and stole a French flag.
CAR is a landlocked nation of 4.4
million people is one of the poorest countries in the world. The current
president himself came to power nearly a decade ago in the wake of a rebellion
in this resource-rich yet deeply poor country.
Despite Central African Republic's
wealth of gold, diamonds, timber and uranium, the government remains
perpetually cash-strapped.
When News Breaks Out, We Break In. Minute by Minute Report on Cameroon and Africa
