Bangui (Fides Service)- “Sporadic shots are heard coming from the PK11 district where President François Bozizé resides but the rest of the city is relatively calm” a local Church source in Bangui, capital of the Central African Republic told Fides. Yesterday evening, 22 April there was fighting in the PK 11 (11 km post) situated in the northern part of Bangui. “This is where President Bozizé lives with his body guards. And here there are also 300 mercenaries from Chad who helped Boziize to take power and they were the ones who clashed with the regular troops yesterday” the source told Fides. “The Chad mercenaries have not been integrated into the army and now they are demanding the pay promised by the President”.
“At least 6 or 7 persons were reportedly killed in the violence and the situation at present would appear to be stalled. We are in contact with a community of Dominican Sisters in the area. They are well, the convent has not been damaged but the Sisters cannot leave the house” the source told Fides.
“It problem will not be easy to solve. These mercenaries cannot go back to Chad because they are not popular with the Chad’s President Idriss Déby. So even if they are paid, where they go when the crisis is over will be a problem” Fides source commented. “The problem of Chad mercenaries has existed since last year, in March when the hostilities of the civil war stopped and they were left to fend for themselves and live off expedients. They extort money and food from civilians and are responsible for most of the night raids in Bangui. Unless they are integrated into society in the Central African Republic, these men could become a permanent factor of instability”
“Their integration is no easy task” Fides sources continued, “because the country has still not fully recovered from the effects of the civil war. International finance institutions are reluctant to grant loans to a country which has no stable government. But without international aid the country will find it difficult, if not impossible to rebuild the economy ”.
Civil war started in 2002, after an unsuccessful coup led by Bozizé former army chief of staff, who attempted to overthrow the then President Ange-Félix Patassé. After the coup Bozizè withdrew to the north of the country where he reorganised his troops and started fighting. On 15 March 2003 after months of war Bozizé took the capital, ousting Patassé who fled the country. Bozize proclaimed himself president ad interim and on 7 April 2003 an interim government was installed with Abel Goumba as prime minister.
According to the interim executive, formed of 28 members representing all the existing political parties, the transition period will last from one to three years after which elections will be held to vote a new government. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 23/4/2004, righe 40 parole 503)