Region sends troops to help embattled Central African army

The countries of central Africa began sending reinforcements Tuesday to protect the Central African Republic's capital from rebels who control much of the country and are demanding the departure of President Francois Bozize. Gabon, Congo-Brazzaville and Cameroon have each pledged 120 troops to join 400 Chadian soldiers already deployed by multinational African peacekeeping force FOMAC to protect the key town of Damara, according to a FOMAC source. Damara is the last strategic settlement between the capital Bangui and the Seleka rebel coalition, which has seized much of the country in a three-week advance to within 160 kilometres (100 miles) of the capital. Some of the 120 Gabonese troops arrived on Tuesday morning in Bangui, with most of the rest expected by the end of the day, the FOMAC source said. The 120 troops from Congo-Brazzaville arrived on Monday, while the Cameroonian contingent is expected by the end of the week. A Gabonese general will command the full force of 760 foreign troops in Damara, the source said. The regional reinforcements were sent after the rebels vowed on Monday to take the strategic town, which sits about 75 kilometres north of the capital.FOMAC was launched in 2008 by the Economic Community of Central African States (CEEAC) in a bid to stabilise the Central African Republic, a chronically unstable country of five million people with a long history of coups and rebellions. In a nationally broadcast New Year's address, Bozize thanked his Chadian counterpart, steadfast ally President Idriss Deby, for sending in troops to protect his regime. "Thanks to the Chadian army you are listening to me on the radio and watching me on television," he said. "Otherwise, we would all be in the bush. Bangui would be empty today and embroiled in unrest. Thanks to the Chadian army, thanks to President Idriss Deby Itno of Chad." Bozize also repeated his promise to hold talks with the rebels. "I am ready for dialogue. I am waiting for the heads of state (of regional bloc CEEAC) to set the date so we can go there in agreement with Seleka to find the path to exit from this crisis," he said. Rebel spokesman Eric Massi said on Monday that Bozize could not be trusted, telling AFP: "There is no longer any doubt that the sincerity of the promises made by Francois Bozize is not real." But as thousands of Bangui residents flocked to churches on Tuesday, a traditional day of prayer, the capital's Catholic archbishop, Dieudonne Nzapalainga, said some of the rebels were ready to negotiate with the government. "I have begun hearing messages of hope from the president and rebels," he told AFP, adding that some rebels had said they were ready for talks. "Let us stop hurting each other and destroying each other. Let us hold talks," he said. Yves Enza Betilamba, a worshipper at a local church in the 85-percent Christian country, said she was praying for peace. "We came to pray to God to protect us during this unrest that is unfolding in our country. We pray for peace. God has not abandoned the Centrafricans." The United States said on Monday that it was deeply concerned over the security situation in the country and called on the rebels to halt their advance. "We call on the rebel alliance to cease hostilities and movements towards the capital. We also call on the rebels to ensure the safety of the civilian population," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in a statement. Nuland said Washington was calling on the Central African Republic's government to ensure its security forces respect human rights. She added that the United States was also concerned by the "arrests and disappearances of hundreds of individuals who are members of ethnic groups with ties to the Seleka rebel alliance".