Peacekeepers Recapture Rebel-Held Central African Town
Peacekeepers in the Central African Republic said Saturday they had recaptured the key town of Sibut from rebel fighters, while their mission received pledges of $132 million dollars from African countries.
The commander of the African Union force told state radio his troops had taken control of the town from former members of the mainly Muslim Seleka rebellion, leaders of a March 2013 coup that plunged the country in chaos.
"As I speak, MISCA has taken control of the town of Sibut," said General Tumenta Chomud, referring to the force of around 5,500 peacekeepers deployed in the country.
"A Gabonese contingent from MISCA is in place in the town. It is clear that the Seleka fighters can be contained and they will be disarmed."
The announcement came two days after former Seleka fighters captured Sibut, which links the capital Bangui with the north of the country, forcing hundreds of terrified residents to flee into the bush.
The taking of the northern town was the latest challenge faced by peacekeepers struggling to maintain order in a country the size of France with a long history of coups, attempted coups and army mutinies.
MISCA is supported by a French contingent of around 1,600 troops, and the European Union has committed a further 500 troops.
However, the interior of the country is a lawless zone ruled by warlords, with few or no foreign troops present, and newly elected transitional President Catherine Samba-Panza has said more troops are needed.
On Saturday U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson appealed to African leaders meeting in Addis Ababa to "provide MISCA with the support required".
"We will be judged and measured by our efforts to protect the people of the Central African Republic," he said.
"We must not let them down ... we must not fail to prevent another huge tragedy in Africa."
AU officials said a total of $410 million (304 million euros) is required just to keep MISCA going for one year.
A total of almost $315 million has now been raised or pledged for Central African Republic, AU officials said, with $132 million of that amount being new pledges made at Saturday's conference. Some of the money includes $34 million pledged Friday by the European Union.
The Economic Community of Central African States (CEEAC), a 10-nation bloc of which CAR is a member, pledged $100 million, said Republic of Congo President Denis Sassou Nguesso.
"We absolutely have to stabilize this country in order to show that we as a continent are up to such challenges," Sassou said.
South African President Jacob Zuma pledged $1 million as he said the peacekeeping force must have "the full capacity to successfully conduct its operations and mandate".
Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn pledged $500,000 for the troops, saying the MISCA mission is crucial to prevent the impoverished country from "sliding into total collapse".
The most senior CAR official present at the conference, Prime Minister Andre Nzapayeke, asked whether he was disappointed that funding had not hit the $400 million mark, told journalists: "We can't be disappointed when we see the willingness to help the Central African Republic."
The Central African Republic descended into chaos 10 months ago when the Seleka overthrew the government and installed one of their leaders, Michel Djotodia, as the country's first Muslim president.
Djotodia failed to control his Seleka fighters, who began targeting people from the Christian majority, prompting the emergence of self-defense groups that launched revenge attacks on Muslims amid reports of murder, mutilation, rape and looting by both sides.
By the time Djotodia was effectively ousted by regional leaders on January 10 for his failure to end the spiraling bloodshed, about a million people were displaced in a population of 4.6 million.
The installation of a new government has failed to stem the violence, which has escalated in recent days.
Red Cross officials said they had collected 30 bodies in the past three days after fighting in the capital Bangui that also left 60 people wounded.
Samba-Panza on Friday slammed the rebels' latest actions, saying they aimed to "destabilize her mandate" at a time when the government was calling for tolerance and national reconciliation.
Around 80 percent of the CAR's population is Christian, but it has a significant Muslim minority who live mainly in the north of the country.
The violence has created a massive humanitarian crisis, and the U.N. World Food Program said in Geneva it urgently needed $95 million to provide food assistance.
Source: Agence France Presse
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