CAR rebels halt advance on capital

Rebels say they would participate in talks, as head of regional African forces warns them against making new moves. Last Modified: 02 Jan 2013 21:11 inShare1 Email Print Share Feedback

Rebels in Central African Republic have said they have halted their advance on the capital, Bangui, and would participate in dialogue, as head of regional African forces warned them against making further moves. The announcement on Wednesday gave only a limited reprieve for President Francois Bozize as the rebels told Reuters news agency they might insist on his removal in the negotiations in Gabon's capital Libreville. "I have asked our forces not to move their positions starting today because we want to enter talks in Libreville for a political solution," Eric Massi, rebel spokesman, told Reuters by telephone from Paris. "I am in discussion with our partners to come up with proposals to end the crisis, but one solution could be a political transition that excludes Bozize," he said. On Wednesday, the commander of the regional African force, FOMAC, warned rebels against any attempt to take Damara, the last strategic town between them and the country's capital Bangui. "Let it be clear, we will not give up Damara," General Jean-Felix Akaga said. "If the rebels attack Damara that would amount to a declaration of war and would mean that they have decided to engage the 10 central African states," he told reporters in Bangui. The UN has called for dialogue between the government and the rebels. The special UN representative for the country, Margaret Vogt, "is staying in close dialogue with the key parties in CAR and in the region and has offered the United Nations support for any political negotiations", UN spokesman Martin Nesirky said. More than 30 truckloads of troops from Chad now line the two-lane highway just outside of Damara, to support government forces. The rebels, who began their campaign a month ago and have taken several key towns and cities, appear to be holding their positions up until Sibut, which is 112km further north from Damara. Defence minister dismissed On Wednesday, President Bozize announced through a decree read on state radio that he was dismissing his son, Francis, as defence minister. Chief of Staff Guillaume Lapo also was being replaced. The president already has promised to form a coalition government with rebels and to negotiate without conditions. It's a sign of how serious a threat is now being posed by the rebel groups who call themselves Seleka, which means alliance in the local Sango language. They have accused Bozize of failing to honour a 2007 peace deal. "There is a little bit of hope as rebels have stopped their advance on the capital," Lydie Boka, Africa analyst, Director of Strategic Co, told Al Jazeera. "And really they didn't have much of choice given that Chad, which is a big player and a master of the game in the region, has warned that they should not go beyond Damara." There is also speculation about religious links between rebels and some of the neigbouring countries like Sudan and Chad, she said. The landlocked nation of 4.4 million people is rich in diamonds, gold and uranium and yet remains one of the poorest countries in the world. Central African Republic has suffered many army revolts, coups and rebellions since gaining independence from France in 1960. "Central Africans are tired of somebody who came by force in 2003 and didn't really share power. Basically, his (Bozize) party, KNK, took over everything in the country. The last legislative elections were virtually fraudulent," Boka said.

Sudan and South Sudan leaders to hold summit

Sudan's Omar al-Bashir to meet his Southern counterpart Salva Kiir in Addis Ababa to talk on border and oil. Last Modified: 02 Jan 2013 03:17 inShare Email Print Share Feedback

The presidents of Sudan and South Sudan are set to meet in Ethiopian capital to discuss how to improve border security and resume cross-border oil flows, both governments have said. The African Union will host the summit on Friday between Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir and his southern counterpart Salva Kiir in Addis Ababa, spokesmen for both governments said on Tuesday. Both countries have said they wanted to set up a demilitarised border zone, signalling possible concessions ahead of the summit which will test whether they can mend ties and restore vital oil flows. South and North signed a landmark deal in September in Addis Ababa, which was centred on nine key areas, including a demilitarised buffer zone and oil production. They agreed to resume oil exports from the landlocked South through Sudan, months after Juba had shut down its oil production after failing to agree with the North on an export fee, one of several conflicts left over from South Sudan's secession in 2011. However, both the African neighbours still have to move back their army 10km from the border to set up a buffer zone, a condition to restart oil flows. They also accuse each other of supporting rebels on the other's territory and fought a limited war in April last yearafter South Sudan’s army captured oil-rich town of Heglig – which is internationally recognised as part of Sudan. Oil lifeline In a speech on New Year's Eve, Kiir said the new republic was willing to withdraw its troops from the 1,800km long border, much of which is disputed. South Sudan's Information Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin told Reuters the withdrawal would have to be coordinated between the two countries. He did not elaborate. Bashir did not mention Kiir's comments at a rally on Tuesday but said Sudan wanted to implement the September deals, which would include the troop pullback, and open the border for trade. "We are ready for good neighbourly relations and co-operation and we want to implement all agreements signed in Addis Ababa," Bashir said. South Sudan seceded from Sudan under a 2005 peace deal which ended decades of civil war but both countries have yet to decide on ownership of several disputed border regions, including Abyei – a fertile grazing land. South Sudan had originally hoped to resume oil exports by January but has postponed turning on wells until the buffer zone is in place. Oil is the lifeline for both economies.

Ivory Coast to investigate deadly stampede

Government launches investigation after scores were killed in stampede following New Year firework display. Last Modified: 03 Jan 2013 03:15 inShare Email Print Share Feedback

Alassane Outtara, Ivory Coast's president, has launched an investigation into a stampede following a New Year's Eve fireworks display that caused the deaths of 61 people, mostly children and teenagers. Outtara has also on Wednesday called for three days of national mourning for the victims. Some survivors said that makeshift barricades along the main boulevard prevented the movement of people and helped cause the stampede. Police said that unknown people put tree trunks across the Boulevard de la Republique, where the trampling took place. "After the fireworks we reopened the other streets, but we had not yet removed the tree trunks from the Boulevard de la Republique, in front of the Hotel Tiana near the National Assembly (parliament) building,'' a police officer said. "That is where the stampede happened when people flooded in from the other streets.'' Outtara said that the "investigation must take into account all the testimonies of victims...We will have a crisis centre to share and receive information". An estimated 50,000 people had gathered near the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium and elsewhere in Abidjan's Plateau district to watch the fireworks. As they streamed away from the show some encountered the blockades. "Near the Justice Palace we were stopped by some people who put blockades of wood in the street,'' Zoure Sanate said from her bed in Cocody Hospital. "They told us we must stay in the Plateau area until morning. None of us accepted to stay in Plateau until the morning for a celebration that ended at around 1am." "Then came the stampede of people behind us," she said.

Africa

CAR rebels warned against capital takeover

The warning by multinational African force comes amid growing fear of a rebel attack on Bangui. Last Modified: 02 Jan 2013 11:41 Feedback Tweet inShare1 Email Print Share

The commander of the regional African force FOMAC has warned rebels in the Central African Republic against any attempt to take Damara, the last strategic town between them and the country's capital Bangui. "Let it be clear, we will not give up Damara," General Jean-Felix Akaga said on Wednesday. "If the rebels attack Damara that would amount to a declaration of war and would mean that they have decided to engage the 10 central African states," he told reporters in Bangui. "I honestly don't think they will go that far." Akaga said Bangui was well secured by FOMAC troops and reiterated that Damara remained the last key government-controlled town before the capital located 75km away. "The red line is Damara," he said. Peace talks The rebels, who began their campaign a month ago and have taken several key towns and cities, have accused Central African Republic leader Francois Bozize of failing to honour a 2007 peace deal. They said they had halted their advance on the capital on Wednesday and would start peace talks, averting a clash with regionally-backed troops in the mineral-rich nation. The announcement gave only a limited reprieve for President Francois Bozize as the rebels told Reuters they might insist on his removal in the negotiations in Gabon's capital Libreville. "I have asked our forces not to move their positions starting today because we want to enter talks in Libreville for a political solution," rebel spokesman Eric Massi told Reuters by telephone from Paris. "I am in discussion with our partners to come up with proposals to end the crisis, but one solution could be a political transition that excludes Bozize," he added.The landlocked nation of 4.4 million people is rich in diamonds, gold and uranium and yet remains one of the poorest countries in the world. Central African Republic has suffered many army revolts, coups and rebellions since gaining independence from France in 1960. The rebels behind the current instability signed a 2007 peace accord, but group leaders say the deal was not fully implemented.

AU chief, Bozize to meet as rebels advance on Bangui

© AFP

African Union chief Thomas Bani Yayi is due to hold talks with Central Africa Republic’s embattled president, François Bozize, after rebels on Saturday seized the town of Sibut, around 150 kilometres from the country’s capital Bangui.

By FRANCE 24
News Wires (text)

 

Rebels in the Central African Republic who have advanced towards the capital Bangui warned Sunday they could enter the city even as the head of the African Union prepared to launch peace negotiations.
AU chief Thomas Boni Yayi, president of Benin, is expected to travel to Bangui to try to initiate talks between the government of President Francois Bozize and the rebel coalition known as Seleka.
But a rebel spokesman told AFP that Bozize's departure should be on the agenda, and that rebel forces have not ruled out entering the capital of the chronically instable country.
"Bozize intends to give battle in Bangui, and if the situation demands it, we will take action," Eric Massi told AFP by telephone from the Gabonese capital Libreville, while reiterating that the rebels were not currently planning to seize the capital.
Tensions were high in Bangui after the country's armed forces, in the face of the rebels' advance, retreated to Damara, the last major town on the way to Bangui, about 75 kilometres (45 miles) away, in the southwest.
With the rebels closing in, the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), which has troops in the country, warned both sides Sunday that Damara must remain in government control.
"The ECCAS forces are on maximum alert, and the city of Damara is the line not to be crossed. We ask the FACA (government forces) and the rebels not to advance from their current positions and to give talks a chance," said Antonio Di Garcia, head of the regional bloc's mission, on national radio.
The rebels are insisting on the departure of Bozize, who took power in a 2003 coup then won two elections.
"That issue must be discussed with the African Union," Massi told AFP. "President Bozize must recognise his military defeat on the ground ... and draw the necessary conclusions."
The rebels, who now control five regional capitals in the centre and north of the country, faced no resistance as they entered the town of Sibut around 150 kilometres (95 miles) from Bangui on Saturday, a military official told AFP.
Officials on both sides said the rebels had also repelled army soldiers trying to recapture Bambari, a former military stronghold in the landlocked country, one of the world's poorest despite vast mineral wealth.
The coalition of three rebel movements known as Seleka -- or the "alliance" in the Sango language -- launched their offensive on December 10 claiming the government has not fulfilled the terms of peace pacts signed in 2007 and 2011, which include providing for disarmament, pay and social reintegration for insurgents.
Bozize's appeals for help from former colonial power France and from the United States to fight the rebels have fallen on deaf ears.
Neighbouring Chad, which helped Bozize with rebellions in 2010, has sent a contingent to the country, but those troops too have retreated from the rebel advance.
In Bangui, the population is fearful of a rebel attack and the uncertainty has caused a sharp spike in food prices.
"I'm afraid of the rebels coming," said vegetable vendor Euphrasie Ngotanga in the city's huge Sambo market. "We're not going to sell our produce if there's no peace. And then how we will feed our children?"
The Central African Republic is notorious for unrest including coups, army mutinies and rebellions.

South Africa's Zuma to face leadership challenge

Kgalema Motlanthe, the president's deputy, to run against Jacob Zuma for leadership of ruling African National Congress.

A native of Johannesburg's Alexandra township, Motlanthe, right, was once a member of the ANC's military wing [Reuters] A native of Johannesburg's Alexandra township, Motlanthe, right, was once a member of the ANC's military wing [Reuters]

Kgalema Motlanthe, South Africa's deputy president, has agreed to run against President Jacob Zuma for the leadership the country's ruling party, the African National Congress (ANC). Motlanthe accepted nominations from several provinces and the party's youth league to enter the race to be the ANC's next president, his spokesman Thabo Masebe said on Thursday.

Post-election tension shakes African beacon of stability

Political leaders as well as election observers in Ghana have called for calm after the top opposition party threatened to contest the results of the recent presidential poll. Are Ghanaians likely to listen?

International and regional election observers say Ghana’s recently conducted presidential poll appeared transparent, which saw incumbent John Mahama beating his rival by a slim majority, with a local monitoring group on Monday urging respect for the results.

Yet tensions have been rising in the Ghanaian capital of Accra since Sunday, when the country’s electoral commission declared Mahama the winner with 50.7% - just enough to avoid a run-off with his chief rival Nana Akufo-Addo, who got 47.7% of the vote.

Indicted Kenyan politicians seek alliance

Former rivals deputy PM Kenyatta and ex-minister Ruto, facing trial at the ICC, in talks ahead of next year's election.

Uhuru Kenyatta (left) and William Ruto were bitter rivals in a 2007 poll that ended in deadly violence [Reuters] Uhuru Kenyatta (left) and William Ruto were bitter rivals in a 2007 poll that ended in deadly violence [Reuters]

Two key Kenyan presidential hopefuls, both charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court ICC, are in negotiations for an alliance ahead of a presidential election in March 2013. Talks between Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta and ex-minister William Ruto are "going on", said Kenyatta's director of communications Munyori Buku, backtracking on an earlier statement that a formal deal had been struck. He withdrew an earlier statement claiming the two politicians had already "agreed on an alliance whose goals will be national unity, prosperity for all Kenyans [and] reconciliation".

M23 rebels in slow retreat from Goma

Rebels believed to be backed by Rwanda began retreating from the territory they seized last week and pulled out of the region of Masisi, their military leader said Wednesday, in a sign that international pressure has stemmed the advance of the fighters.M23 rebels began leaving the region they captured last week and will abide by an ultimatum issued by neighbouring nations to withdraw from Goma by Friday, their leader said Wednesday, in a sign that international pressure has slowed their advance.

Gen. Sultani Makenga, the military chief for the eight-month-old rebellion known as M23, said his fighters intend to abide by an ultimatum issued by neighboring nations that called for their withdrawal from Goma by Friday. He said he had ordered his fighters to retreat along the southeastern axis from Masisi to Goma, and they will then leave Goma via the northern route to Rutshuru.

New Ebola outbreak erupts near Uganda capital

Officials say three new deaths confirmed and several evacuations under way in central region only 62km from Kampala.

The virus also struck Uganda in July when it claimed 14 lives.

Up to three people have died in Uganda from an outbreak of the Ebola virus in its central region, near the capital Kampala, according to officials. Health Minister Christine Ondoa said on Thursday that two of the dead were from one family in Luwero district. Ondoa told reporters: "Another viral hemorrhagic fever, Ebola, has broken out in the country ... a total of three people have, since the onset of the outbreak ,died".

Tunisia to grant US access to Benghazi attack suspect

Tunisia will allow US investigators access to a suspect in the September attack on the American consulate in the Libyan city of Benghazi, US senators said Friday. Ali Ani al Harzi was arrested in Turkey in October and deported to his native Tunisia.

By News Wires (text)

The Tunisian government will allow the United States access to a suspect in the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, two senators said Friday.

Islamist Mali rebels Ansar Dine urge dialogue

Islamist Mali rebels Ansar Dine urge dialogue

Ansar Dine, an Islamist group occupying northern Mali, called for dialogue Tuesday as it faced the prospect of a violent ouster by interstate troops, dispatching envoys to Burkina Faso and Algeria in a bid to negotiate an end to the crisis.

By News Wires (text)

Ansar Dine, an Islamist group occupying northern Mali, called Tuesday for other fighters to join them in political dialogue, as military chiefs plot strategies to expel the extremists using force.
As diplomatic efforts for a military solution to the seven-month occupation of Mali's vast arid north intensify, Ansar Dine has dispatched envoys to Burkina Faso and Algeria in a bid to negotiate an end to the crisis.