Rebels seized the capital of the Central African Republic at the weekend in a lightning attack which forced the government to flee to neighbouring Cameroon, further destabilising the already volatile region.
Supporters of the former army chief François Bozize took control of Bangui in less than 24 hours. Government troops made little effort to defend the airport, radio station and presidential palace.
In a radio address last night which introduced him as head of state, General Bozize suspended the constitution and dissolved the legislature. He said his fighters had seized power ”because of the mismanagement of the country and its inability to carry out its domestic responsibilities”.
”Our government is that of peace and national reconciliation,” he added.
He promised a quick reconstruction of the country, and said he planned to meet officials of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund to seek ”post-conflict aid”.
He promised to try to reconcile the divisions in the armed forces, to overhaul government bureaucracy, and to fight Aids.
Earlier yesterday Bangui was tense but calm as rebel patrols ordered government troops and looters off the streets.
A plane taking the deposed President Ange-Felix Patasse and aides home from a summit in Niger was forced to divert on Saturday when it came under fire as it prepared to land at Bangui. Yesterday Patasse was heavily guarded in a hotel in the Cameroon capital, Yaounde.
The chance of his making a swift military response faded when the Congolese rebel group which had been propping up his rule, the Movement for the Liberation of Congo, returned home across the Obangui river in canoes.
Since its independence from France in 1960 the Central African Republic, landlocked and impoverished despite abundant diamonds and timber, has been one of the continent’s most unstable countries.
The belief that Patasse, who was elected in 1993, presided over widespread corruption was compounded by the his government’s failure to pay wages, including his soldiers’, and his falling out with former allies such as Gen Bozize.
About 1000 rebels with mortars and machine guns swept through the northern districts of Bangui virtually unopposed on Saturday and took control of strategic points.
Government soldiers were seen changing into civilian clothes, and the presidential guard allegedly joined civilians in looting furniture, televisions and cookers from the presidential palace and other government buildings.
The looters shouted: ”It’s over! This is the fruit of our suffering! It’s the sweat of our brow stolen by Patasse and his men!”
”I’m collecting part of my salary,” a woman carrying a handful of clothes and cups said.
After 12 hours silence the state radio resumed transmission with military music, followed by a statement read by Captain Parfait Mbaye which called Gen Bozize the ”president of the republic” and his take-over a ”fait accompli”.
Later Capt Mbaye told a French radio station: ”I believe that this interruption of the democratic process in Central Africa is necessary to put things back to square one and start over again.”
The BBC reported that several cabinet ministers had sought refuge in embassies.
Gen Bozize, a devout Christian, was sacked as army chief by Patasse in 2001 and began a failed rebellion last October.
SA president Thabo Mbeki condemned the coup, saying: ”The African continent will never countenance any unconstitutional transfer of power from whatever quarter,” Mbeki said in a statement on Monday in his capacity as African Union president.
Mbeki said the leadership of the African continent had made clear its opposition to such unconstitutional acts.
”Coming at a time when government and opposition parties were involved in preparations for national dialogue, peace and reconciliation, the unconstitutional transfer of power subtracts rather than adds to the momentum for peace and stability and indeed undermines continental efforts aimed at sustainable development and economic recovery.”
The African Union would continue to co-operate to help the people of the Central African Republic to return to democracy, peace and justice, Mbeki said. – Guardian Unlimited Â