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Politics : War -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Yaacov who wrote (1577)	5/31/2001 10:56:01 AM
From: GUSTAVE JAEGER	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 23908

AH, the scramble for Africa resumes... at last!! French mercenaries + Libyan troops vs US-supported Rwandan troops --and the timing is excellent (bullyboy Pasqua and his gang are entangled in the Angolascrape) Libya flies troops to embattled Central African Republic May 31, 2001 Posted: 6:53 AM EDT (1053 GMT) BANGUI, Central African Republic (Reuters) -- Libyan troops flew into Bangui to help Central African Republic's President Ange Felix Patasse on Wednesday as his loyalists battled to regain control after a failed coup, diplomats said. Residents said dissidents appeared to gain ground during the day and had retaken the main barracks in the former French colony's capital, three days after launching their attack on Patasse's residence. It was not clear how many troops were on board the planes, but diplomats said the soldiers were Libyans. One source earlier suggested they were from neighbouring Chad. "We've been able to confirm that two Libyan planes landed with equipment and soldiers at Bangui airport this morning," one diplomat told Reuters. Fighting since the early hours of Monday has revived memories of a series of army mutinies that battered the impoverished, landlocked country in the 1990s. Former military ruler Andre Kolingba has confirmed his involvement with the attackers. The government says 300 African mercenaries led by two Rwandan generals, "Safari" and "Zouzou," are fighting alongside him and three of his sons. Residents and diplomats said the dissidents recaptured the Camp Kassai military barracks southeast of the capital and held onto much of the southern suburbs as bursts of gunfire and the occasional boom of heavy weapons echoed from around the city. "There are reports that the rebels are getting stronger by the river. There are hordes of people fleeing from there and going east," said one resident. Fighters skirmished near the president's residence early on Wednesday and witnesses reported seeing two bodies on the street afterwards. Elsewhere a child was reported killed in crossfire. At least 20 people are known to have died in the first attack and the clashes immediately afterwards. But the death toll was thought to be much higher after fighting in other parts of the city from where there are few witness reports. Speaking to Radio France International, Kolingba insisted it was not a coup d'etat, but confirmed he had been involved. "As a former head of state and officer, the mutineers asked me to intervene," Kolingba said. "They were asking me for a positive intervention, and I asked France to support me in order to bring national unity, peace and security to the country." Asked whether France would send troops, its Foreign Ministry said in a brief statement: "The French community is not affected by these incidents. We continue to follow the situation closely and remain in contact with the French community. The information that we have suggests a return to calm." Kolingba ruled from 1981 until 1993 when, bowing to foreign pressure for democratic reform, he allowed multi-party elections which Patasse won. Kolingba is from the same forested southern region as ex-president David Dacko and former emperor Jean-Bedel Bokassa, who was toppled in 1979 amid accusations of cannibalism. Patasse is from the northern savannah region. A split in the city between north and south echoes the country's wider ethnic divide. As now, the south was the bastion of the rebel soldiers during the mutinies of 1996 and 1997. Patasse was saved by French troops in the first mutiny before French-backed African peacekeepers were sent to restore stability. They were replaced by a U.N. force that left last year after Patasse's re-election in 1999. The Central African Republic is a close ally of Libya and joined the Community of Sahel and Saharan States which was set up by Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, although it lies in the wetter south, removed from most of the arid states involved. Patasse visited Tripoli earlier this month. Copyright 2001 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.