Central African Republic rebel alliance issues ultimatum to government
By Paul-Marin Ngoupana
BANGUI | Tue Dec 18, 2012 12:13pm EST
(Reuters) - An alliance of rebel groups that has seized control of several
towns in Central African Republic in recent days has threatened to overthrow
President Francois Bozize if he fails to fully implement a five-year-old
peace deal.
The resurgence of rebel activity risks sparking a new spiral of violence in
the minerals-rich nation where several groups have fought low-level
insurgencies since 2005.
The rebel alliance - made up of breakaway factions from the CPJP, UFDR and
CPSK rebel groups in the north of the country which signed a peace treaty
with the government in 2007 - said the government must fully implement the
terms of that deal.
In a statement issued on Monday, the alliance demanded, among other things,
that the government pay rebel soldiers money promised to them to lay down
their weapons, and to free political prisoners.
"Otherwise ... (the alliance) will take it upon itself to do everything
possible to change, sooner or later, this regime which has done nothing to
bring justice and peace to the Central African Republic. Enough is enough,"
it said.
Early on Tuesday, the rebels entered Bria, a mining town with a population
of about 40,000 which lies some 600 km (360 miles) from the capital Bangui.
"Fighting started about 5 a.m. today. We were woken by heavy gunfire. Most
of the population started fleeing. The military base seems to be in the
hands of the rebels," Bria's Mayor Moussa Gouman told Reuters by telephone
as gunfire could be heard in the background.
A resident said that by late afternoon the rebels had seized control of the
town.
The rebels have taken several towns in the north and north-east of the
country including Ndele, Sam Ouandja, Bamingui and Ouadda during an advance
that began last week.
Authorities in the capital declined to comment.
On Sunday, the rebels attacked government soldiers sent to retake Ndele
which was seized on December 10.
"Our troops were ambushed by the rebels on (Sunday) night. Forty of them are
unaccounted for as we speak," a CAR army captain told Reuters, requesting
not to be named.
"Two of our vehicles loaded with weapons, ammunition and fuel supplies for
our men were also seized by the rebels," he said.
Instability in landlocked CAR, roughly the size of former colonial master
<
http://www.reuters.com/places/france> France, has discouraged major
investment in its timber, gold, uranium and diamond deposits.
France said it was "extremely concerned" by the fighting.
"These attacks constitute a flagrant violation of the Libreville peace
agreement, in that they undermine efforts to consolidate peace in Central
African Republic," French Foreign Ministry spokesman Philippe Lalliot told
journalists.
A 2006 advance by the nearly 3,000-strong UFDR on Bangui was only halted
with the intervention of French armed forces before the peace deal was
signed in April 2007.
The CPJP embarked on a separate rebellion with about 1,000 soldiers before
agreeing a ceasefire, but most of the rebel groups remained armed.
A mix of local rebels, bandits, ethnic tensions and the spillover of
conflicts from neighboring Chad, Sudan and Democratic Republic of
<
http://www.reuters.com/places/congo> Congo have undermined efforts to
stabilize the nation which has suffered misrule since independence in 1960.
President Bozize took power in a 2003 coup and won a new mandate in January
2011 elections, which opponents dismissed as fraudulent.
(Additional reporting by John Irish in Paris and Bate Felix in Dakar;
Writing by Bate Felix; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)
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Received on Tue Dec 18 2012 - 16:48:33 EST
