Africa

Rebels loot several towns in CAR

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Officials from the Central African Republic (CAR) say that the Seleka rebels have looted several towns in the south of the African country.

“The Seleka rebels laid siege to Satema this weekend, that is to say Saturday. They also positioned men in the town and came back on Sunday, the weekly market day. Several people were robbed of their goods, and hundreds of others fled to take refuge in the Democratic Republic of Congo,” said Kohotro Mbomba, a local lawmaker, AFP reported on Tuesday.

“I call on the Seleka leaders, on the prime minister and on the president of the republic to do all that is in their power to halt the suffering of the population,” Mbomba added.

Moise Kotaye, a lawmaker from the southern town of Alindao, which is under Seleka’s control, said that the rebels destroyed police posts and the town hall.

“They went to the church to carry off many things belonging to the nuns [and] the priests, including motorcycles of the Catholic charity Caritas,” Kotaye stated.

Colonel Djouma Narkoyo, one of Seleka’s military leaders, noted that each time the rebels receive information on such activities, they verify it and “send men to catch the insurgents.”

On January 11, CAR President Francois Bozize and representatives of the Seleka rebels signed an agreement in Libreville, Gabon after holding three days of talks brokered by regional neighbors.

The Seleka rebels launched an offensive against the CAR government in December 2012.

There are many mineral resources, including gold and diamonds, in the Central African Republic. However, the country is extremely poor and has faced a series of rebellions and coups since it gained independence in 1960.

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