| Submit your comments on this article | |||
| East/Subsaharan Africa | |||
| Central African Republic capital under attack | |||
| 2003-03-15 | |||
| Rebels loyal to the sacked army chief Francois Bozize have seized control of the international airport and the presidential palace. My, that was quick. President Ange-Felix Patasse's plane was shot at as it approached Bangui airport, but it has now landed safely in Cameroon. Mr Patasse had been in Niger, where he attended a pan-African summit on Friday. Hope he didn't leave home without his American Express card. Witnesses say there is widespread panic among residents in the capital as they flee their homes to avoid the fighting. The rebels, who are thought to number about 1,000, are reported to be meeting no resistance from government forces. "Government troops are not visible on the streets - we can still hear shooting," a Bangui resident told BBC News Online. Taking pot shots from under cover?
"It was Brian; Chad would never do this!" Government troops regained control of the country this year, but the rebels were still believed to be at large in rural areas in the north, and in southern Chad. In the face of opposition, Mr Patasse has increasingly relied on foreign military support. In May 2001, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi surprised the international community when he sent a Libyan force to help the CAR president put down a coup attempt led by the former president, General Andre Kolingba. The Libyan troops stayed on until the end of 2002 when they were replaced by a peacekeeping force of about 350 under the umbrella of the Central African Economic Community (Cemac). Cemac troops had reportedly been controlling M'Poko airport which is now said to be in rebel hands. Sounds like another fine job by an international peace-keeping force. Mr Patasse has also received backing from a Congolese rebel group - the Movement for the Liberation of Congo (MLC), led by Jean-Pierre Bemba - which controls the north of the Democratic Republic of Congo. MLC troops started crossing the Obangui River into the CAR on Saturday morning. They are expected to play an important role in the attempt by the presidential guard and army to push back the rebels. This will be a typical Charlie Fox situation for Africa. Despite being diamond-rich, the CAR is one of the poorest countries in Africa. I was wondering why the heck people were fighting over this place. Now I get it. The country's acute instability is partly due to ethnic tensions. Since independence in 1960, the better-educated southern tribes have dominated government institutions and the army.
Ah, the French at their best! At present, civil servants and the army have not been paid for months which has led to recent demonstrations. This is how you lose support, Mr. Patasse, pee on the people who work for you. The CAR was due last year to qualify for World Bank assistance which observers hoped would turn it around - but fighting meant negotiations were put on hold.
| |||
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #1 The Libyans have been in and out here for years. I think one of the French interventions in the 80's was to defeat the Libyans. And, why did the French turn their back on the Republic? Perhaps because its government refused to toe the Francophone line? After all, the French had little problem when it was the Central African Empire and its emperor ate people at state dinners. And just how many places are some form of Congo rebels going to intervene? Maybe we should sign them up to help with Iraq. They seem to want to be everywhere else. |
| Posted by: Chuck 2003-03-15 18:46:12 |