|
Central African rebels take Bangui
Rebels in the Central African Republic claimed to have captured the capital Sunday, and a spokesman called the insurgents' leader the country's new president. The rebels began their attack on Bangui on Saturday while President Ange-Felix Patasse was visiting Niger for a meeting of African heads of state. Rebel spokesman Capt. Parfait Mbaye said the rebels controlled the entire city of 622,000 people by Sunday morning, though his claims could not be independently verified. Witnesses said Sunday they had seen many government soldiers shedding their uniforms and that Patasse's presidential guard had begun the looting at his home. After sporadic gunfire overnight, only silence could be heard Sunday morning.Ummm... Yep. That sounds like a successful coup... Mbaye said rebel leader Gen. Francois Bozize has entered the capital and would speak to the country soon. Mbaye called him "the president of the republic." "... The Father of His Country®, The Hope of the Nation®..." "Anyone who refuses to comply with the new decisions will be considered a troublemaker," Mbaye said, without elaborating. "We shoots troublemakers in these here parts!" Mbaye directed all of the state's police, national security forces and military to return to their barracks. "Please return to your barracks so you can be executed in an orderly manner..." Patasse flew later to Yaounde, Cameroon, where he remained Sunday morning, employees at his hotel confirmed. Posted by: Fred Pruitt 2003-03-16 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=11352 |