Embattled African leader urges intervention

The president of Central African Republic urgently called on France and other foreign powers to help his government fend off rebels who are quickly seizing territory and approaching the capital city, but French officials declined to offer any military assistance.

The developments suggest Central African Republic could be on the brink of another violent change in government, something not new in the history of this resource-rich, yet deeply impoverished country.

The current president, Francois Bozize, himself came to power nearly a decade ago in the wake of a rebellion.

Speaking to crowds in Bangui, a city of some 600,000, Mr Bozize pleaded with foreign powers to do what they could. He pointed in particular to France, Central African Republic’s former colonial ruler.

About 200 French soldiers are already in the country, providing technical support and helping to train the local army, according to the French defence ministry.

“France has the means to stop (the rebels) but unfortunately they have done nothing for us until now,” Mr Bozize said.

French president Francois Hollande said that France wants to protect its interests in Central African Republic and not Mr Bozize’s government.

The comments came a day after dozens of protesters, angry about a lack of help against rebel forces, threw rocks at the French Embassy in Bangui and stole a French flag.

Paris is encouraging peace talks between the government and the rebels, with the French foreign ministry noting in a statement that negotiations are due to “begin shortly in Libreville (Gabon)”.

But it was not immediately clear what, if any, dates have been set for those talks.

French foreign minister Laurent Fabius, meanwhile, spoke via phone with Mr Bozize, asking the president to take responsibility for the safety of French nationals and diplomatic missions in Central African Republic.

US officials said the State Department would close its embassy in the country and ordered its diplomatic team to leave.

Mr Bozize’s government earlier reached out to long-time ally Chad, which pledged to send 2,000 troops to bolster Central African Republic’s own forces.

But it was unclear if the Chadian troops had all arrived, and even then, it is far from certain if the combined government forces could withstand rebel attacks.

At least four different rebel groups are involved, though their overall numbers could not immediately be confirmed.

Central African Republic, a landlocked nation of some 4.4 million people, is roughly the size of France.

It has suffered decades of army revolts, coups and rebellions since gaining independence in 1960 and remains one of the poorest countries in the world.

The rebels behind the most recent instability signed a 2007 peace accord allowing them to join the regular army, but insurgent leaders say the deal was not fully implemented.

Already, the rebel forces have seized at least 10 towns across the sparsely populated north of the country, and residents in the capital now fear the insurgents could attack at any time, despite assurances by rebel leaders that they are willing to engage in dialogue instead of attacking Bangui.

The rebels have claimed that their actions are justified in light of the “thirst for justice, for peace, for security and for economic development of the people of Central African Republic”.

Despite Central African Republic’s wealth of gold, diamonds, timber and uranium, the government remains perpetually cash-strapped.