DAKAR, Dec 30 (Reuters) – Rebels in Central African Republic
could enter the capital Bangui as early as “tonight, or tomorrow
morning” and are still not committed to peace talks that
regional leaders are trying to organise, a spokesman said on
Sunday.
African Union Chairman Thomas Yayi Boni is due to meet CAR
President Francois Bozize on Sunday afternoon to lay the
groundwork for talks with the rebels meant to take place in
Gabon in early January.
“We are waiting to see what comes out of today’s meeting
between Bozize and … Yayi Boni before we make a final
decision,” SELEKA rebel spokesman Nelson Ndjadder said by
telephone from France. “We could march into Bangui tonight or
tomorrow morning,” he said.
Ndjadder confirmed that the rebels had positions about 75
kilometres (45 miles) outside Bangui following a swift advance
from the country’s northwest since early December.
The rebel onslaught has highlighted the instability of a
country that has remained poor and turbulent since independence
from France in 1960 despite rich deposits of uranium, gold and
diamonds. Average income is barely over $2 a day.
With a government that holds little sway outside the
capital, some parts of the country have long endured the
consequences of conflicts spilling over from troubled neighbours
Chad, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
