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LIBREVILLE — The motley crew of fighters who overthrew the Central African Republic’s government in March are raging beyond their leader’s control, terrorising civilians and pushing the country toward civil war, analysts say. The Seleka rebels — a loose band of veteran insurgents who picked up mercenaries, robbers and an assortment of other violent men on the way — have continued their rampage despite being officially dissolved by the man they installed as president, Michel Djotodia.
What started as a movement to oust then-president Francois Bozize has gone off-script, the mostly Muslim Seleka fighters burning and pillaging villages, the majority Christian population responding with their own militias that have themselves killed innocent Muslims in reprisal.
“These armed groups are taking advantage of the situation to carry out raids and massacres. Villages are being burnt and looted. The residents are either killed or flee to the bush,” said Jean-Marie Fardeau, director of Human Rights Watch’s French office.
The rebels’ transformation into common criminals has been increasingly visible in recent weeks in the capital, Bangui. Victims speak of men committing horribly violent rapes, stealing a moped by throwing a grenade in the street, robbing a market-woman in a spray of machine-gun fire. As they advanced on Bangui, the rebels picked up mercenaries from neighbouring Chad and Sudan, professional highway robbers and thousands of young men who joined their cause in the final hours.
Djotodia’s failure to restore full state control has given violent, often drunk or high ex-rebels free rein to wreak havoc in a country already troubled by a long history of coups, conflict and instability. Meanwhile, French troops have begun to deploy to the strife-torn Central African Republic, airlifting men and equipment to Bangui in preparation for an intervention to restore order, an airport source said.
“French military aircraft have made several round trips in the past few hours coming mainly from Gabon, to bring in supplies,” the source told AFP, asking not to be named.
French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Tuesday announced plans to deploy 1,000 soldiers to help halt mounting violence in the country, where unprecedented religious clashes have aroused international fears of sectarian massacres.
Paris on Monday presented the UN Security Council with a draft resolution aimed at reinforcing a regional African military mission in the CAR (MISCA), with the goal of turning it into a UN peacekeeping force. French envoy to the United Nations Gerard Araud has said the resolution could be passed next week.
“Many patrol vehicles and troop transports, (including) light armoured vehicles, have arrived from Cameroon by road and headed directly for the M’poko military base,” which is MISCA headquarters near the capital, a Central African military source said.
“Ground reconnaissance missions and joint patrols are being carried out right now by teams of (French foreign) legionnaires. — AFP.
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