Central African Republic Forces Fight for City Held by Rebels

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/29/world/africa/fighting-in-central-african-republic-nears-its-capital.html

Version 0 of 1.

BANGUI, Central African Republic (Agence France-Presse) — Government soldiers on Friday battled to recapture a city held by rebels, a military official said, as regional negotiators continued to seek a peaceful end to the crisis by arranging for the two sides to talk.

The official said the fighting in the captured city, Bambari, which members of a rebel coalition seized on Sunday, was “especially violent.”

The Central African Republic’s neighbors took steps Friday to address the crisis, as rebels advanced toward the capital, Bangui, stoking fears of wider violence.

Foreign ministers in the 10-member Economic Community of Central African States planned to discuss the crisis at a meeting in Gabon.

The organization’s deputy secretary general, Guy-Pierre Garcia, said late Friday that the rebels and the government had agreed to hold talks.

An official with the Central African Multinational Force, the regional peacekeeping organization, said the goal was to open talks between the two sides by Jan. 10.

A diplomatic team from the multinational force has begun talks with the authorities in Bangui and sent a delegation to the rebel-held town of Ndélé in the north to meet rebel leaders.

Fears about the deteriorating security situation have led the United States to evacuate its embassy in Bangui and the United Nations to withdraw its staff members from the country. The International Committee of the Red Cross said Friday that it, too, had evacuated some workers, although it said it would continue to provide aid to the growing number of displaced people.

The United Nations has demanded that the rebels halt their offensive, and urged President François Bozizé’s government to ensure the safety of civilians amid fears of a breakdown in law and order.

A coalition of three rebel movements known as Seleka has taken several towns, including four regional capitals. The rebels accuse the government of failing to fulfill the terms of peace pacts signed in 2007 and 2001.