BANGUI: At least 55 people were killed in clashes over the weekend between gunmen loyal to Central African Republic’s former president and the ex-rebels who ousted him, the government and a regional peacekeeping force said on Monday.
A government spokesman accused fighters loyal to former President Francois Bozize of trying to retake power. The gunmen were not immediately available for comment but clashes took place around Bossangoa, in his home region, about 300 km (185 miles) north of the capital.
The fighting on Saturday and Sunday comes after a UN warning that the country is on the brink of collapse. The former French colony has slipped into chaos since northern rebels captured the capital Bangui in March, over-running South African troops protecting Bozize.
“The defense forces lost five men, and there have been more than 50 killed among the assailants and civilians,” said Guy Simplice Kodegue, a spokesman for Michel Djotodia, the country’s new president, who was swept to power by the Seleka rebels.
A commander in the FOMAC African peacekeeping force said at least 60 people had been killed and the situation was chaotic.
The former rebels have been accused by residents, UN officials and non-governmental organizations of a wave of killings and abuses that Djotodia has struggled to control.
“Houses were burnt, people were burnt alive including children, women, and old people who had nothing to do with the fighting. It is really disgusting,” Kodegue said, referring to the fighting at the weekend.
Bozize, who fled to neighboring Cameroon, told French media in Paris last month that he still nurtured ambitions of returning to power.
The peacekeeping force confirmed pro-Bozize gunmen were involved but said little other information was available.
Crepin Mboli-Goumba, a spokesman for the government, accused Bozize of coordinating the attacks over the weekend and appealed for an international intervention to restore order.
“It is an attempt by Bozize and his supporters to take power,” he said. “Six towns have been taken. This shows Seleka does not control the situation so we call on the international community to mobilize (peacekeepers) so they can intervene.”
It was not possible to contact Bozize for comment or locals to confirm if the towns had been retaken.
Bozize came to power in a 2003 coup and, though he won two subsequent elections, his government never stamped its authority on the landlocked nation, which is caught between regional conflicts and local competition over diamonds and gold.
At least 55 killed in Central African Republic battles
