I will rule by decree: CAR rebel leader

 

The former diplomat turned rebel leader, whose Seleka coalition took over the capital Bangui in a rapid-fire weekend assault, announced late on Monday he would rule by decree until elections are organised in three years.

The African Union suspended the coup-prone landlocked nation from its membership and imposed travel restrictions and an asset freeze on the leaders of Seleka, according to French media.

The European Union also condemned the coup as “unacceptable”.
The UN Security Council on Monday condemned the “seizure of power by force” by rebels in the Central African Republic and urged all parties to refrain from any acts of violence against civilians.

“The members of the Security Council strongly condemned the recent attacks and the seizure of power by force in the Central African Republic on 24 March 2013 by the Seleka coalition, as well as the ensuing violence and looting,” the council said in a statement.
The council also condemned the use of force against soldiers from a South Africa training contingent deployed in the Central African Republic at the request of the government.

Taye-Brook Zerihoun, the UN assistant secretary-general for political affairs, briefed the council on the current situation in the Central African Republic.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon late Sunday condemned the rebels’ “unconstitutional seizure of power” and called for “the swift restoration of constitutional order.”

The 15-member UN Security Council emerged from an emergency meeting on the crisis called by former colonial power France to condemn the coup. But while it threatened “further measures”, it made no explicit threat of sanctions.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also condemned Seleka’s power grab and called for “the swift restoration of constitutional order”.

On Sunday, French President Francois Hollande appealed to all the parties in the CAR “for calm and for dialogue” in light of the Libreville accord.
Earlier on Monday, in an interview with Radio France Internationale, Djotodia made it clear he would not rule out running in polls he promised for 2016.
The power change in Bangui came after a lightning offensive that shattered a January 11 power-sharing deal between the old regime and Seleka.

Francois Bozize, the ousted president, who himself seized power in a 2003 coup, fled the country over the weekend and on Monday he was in Cameroon. But the authorities there said he would be moving on “to another host country”.

Djotodia, who is about 60, is a former civil servant and diplomat. He served as the country’s consul until Sunday. But since 2005 he has been one of the leading figures among the rebels. In his address on Monday night, he promised to restore order, announcing a night-time curfew effective between 7pm and 6am. The Seleka rebels were initially welcomed by residents waving palm leaves in celebration, but the mood quickly darkened as looters took to the streets.

During the day, shops in the city were closed as rebel fighters fired their Kalashnikovs in the air as they patrolled the streets.
But aid agency Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres, MSF), said the violence had prevented critically wounded patients from getting proper treatment and called on all sides to let their staff do their job. MSF also reported that its offices had been pillaged during the unrest.

Djotodia vowed to press on with the disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration of former rebels that has been the core grievance of his Seleka movement.
With Bangui still without electricity or radio on Monday, it was difficult to assess casualties from the weekend’s fighting. But 13 South African soldiers were killed in the fighting, the nation’s heaviest post-apartheid military loss.

France, which sent 300 troops over the weekend to reinforce its 250 soldiers already stationed there, said its forces had shot dead two Indian nationals who were approaching the airport in speeding vehicles on Monday.

Bangui is heavily reliant on foreign aid and in an apparent attempt to reassure donors, Djotodia had earlier vowed there would be no witch-hunt and that he would respect the terms of the January peace agreement.

That deal, signed in Gabonese city of Libreville, had brought an end to a month-long Seleka offensive that had swept southward and was stopped only thanks to Chadian military intervention.

As well as suspending Bangui from its membership the African Union announced “sanctions, travel restrictions and an asset freeze on Seleka’s leaders” naming seven individuals including Djotodia.
Ousted president Bozize never delivered on his promises to harness the oil, gold and uranium wealth that has remained largely untapped since independence from France in 1960.

The CAR, a country of 5 million population, has been haunted by instability and poverty since its independence. Despite its mineral riches, the CAR is listed by the United Nations as one of the poorest countries in the world, and remains woefully underdeveloped thanks in large part to chronic political instability. —  AFP/Xinhua.