Troubled CAR arrests rogue ex-rebel commander
BANGUI - Government forces in the troubled Central African Republic have arrested a rogue ex-rebel commander, the justice minister told AFP Friday, as Bangui tries to clamp down on warlords.
Since Michel Djotodia seized power in a March coup, some ex-rebels from his now-dissolved Seleka group have integrated the regular army but others went rogue and have been sowing terror.
Seleka may have been dissolved but its constituent parts have not just disappeared, nor are they likely to.
" Séléka (also called the Séléka CPSK-CPJP-UFDR) is an alliance of militias in the Central African Republic that overthrew the government on March 24, 2013. Séléka leader Michel Djotodia has claimed himself President of the Central African Republic."
"Seven criminals, led by a so-called colonel going by the name of Mahamat Amine and who had emerged from the bush in Damara, were detained by our security and defence forces," Justice Minister Arsene Sende said.
Damara lies around 75 kilometres (45 miles) north of the capital Bangui. The rogue colonel and six of his men were arrested on Wednesday, the minister said.
In effect outside of Bangui " governmental " authority is in the hands of warlords. I don't know how large the Seleka coalition was but it must have been in the thousands and there sure as hell isn't room for them in the armed forces hence the problem of local militias.
On the same day, another ex-Seleka warlord known as "Colonel Abdallah" who had been ruling over the eastern town of Bangassou was arrested together with four of his lieutenants and transferred to Bangui, officials said.
How long until the warlords get half smart and launch a new version of Selika ? Djotodia is not recognised as the president and it seems unlikely he will be until he wins an election.
" N'DJAMENA, 18 April 2013 (Reuters) -Djotodia led thousands of rebel fighters from the Seleka coalition into the riverside capital of the mineral-rich but chronically unstable country on March 24, overthrowing President Francois Bozize.
African heads of state and Western powers had refused to recognise him as the country's legitimate leader and called for the creation of a transitional council to lead the nation to elections within 18 months.
After a meeting in the Chadian capital N'Djamena on Thursday, Central African heads of state said they had taken note of Djotodia's election last weekend by the transitional council in Bangui acting as a parliament.
"Mr Djotodia will not be called president of the republic, but head of state of the transition," Chadian President Idriss Deby said after the meeting, which included a delegation representing the transition government."
"The chief prosecutor and the main police investigations department are sparing no effort in bringing those criminals to justice," Sende said.
That is no surprise. Justice is however a relative concept in this situation. Do it to them before they do it to you.
The impoverished landlocked country is a little larger than France but sparsely populated and Djotodia is facing the same difficulty as his predecessors in extending his authority beyond the capital.
And so how long will the regime last ?
Chaos followed the ouster of Francois Bozize earlier this year and reports of summary executions, looting and abuses against civilians have prompted international concern that the Central African Republic could become another Somali-style failed state.
".... international concern ...." Bullshit, nobody, not even the French give a toss.
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