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Surrounded CAR fighters flee over 'security concern'

Iran Press TV

Sun Feb 2, 2014 3:36PM GMT

Around 200 Seleka fighters who were surrounded by African Union (AU) troops deployed to the Central African Republic (CAR) have fled from the town of Sibut, in the north of the capital, Bangui, a military source says.

"Unfortunately they fled in the night. They've gone to Kaga Bandoro," an officer in the AU force, known as the African-led International Support Mission to the Central African Republic (MISCA, French acronym), said Sunday, on condition of anonymity.

Kaga Bandoro is some 160 Kilometers north of Sibut, the key town that was recaptured by the MISCA soldiers on Saturday.

According to the AU officer, it is thought that the fighters fled because they were afraid of revenge attacks by members of the anti-balaka Christian militia.

This comes while the Seleka fighters had previously expressed concern over lack of security around them.

"We want solutions and really secure camps. In Bangui, Seleka confined to camps, which (were) attacked by anti-balaka," Colonel Abdelkader Djelani, a Seleka officer said earlier.

Recapturing the northern town of Sibut is the latest development in the African country, which has long history of coups and army mutinies. Violence in the strategic city of Sibut has forced hundreds of residents to flee into hiding.

The African Union has deployed around 5,500 peacekeeping forces to the CAR.

The Central African Republic descended into mayhem in March last year when Seleka fighters overthrew former president, Francois Bozize, and brought Michael Djotodia to power. Bozize fled the country after his ouster.

Djotodia, however, step down on January 10, under intense pressure over the government's failure to stem the deadly violence in early December, which left more than 1,000 people dead and nearly one million displaced.

On December 5, 2013, France invaded its former colony after the United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution giving the African Union and France the go-ahead to send troops to the country. Paris has dispatched 1,600 troops to the CAR.

MM/PR