Sunday, January 26, 2014

Central African Republic Names New Prime Minister

Central African Republic names new prime minister

New CAR interim president Catherine Samba-Panza has named Andre Nzapayeke as prime minister

25 Jan 2014 19:38
Paul-Marin Ngoupana, Emma Farge

Central African Republic's new interim president Catherine Samba-Panza has named Andre Nzapayeke, a former official of the African Development Bank, as prime minister, state radio said on Saturday.

Samba-Panza, who took office two days ago, is seeking to build an interim government to restore order to the former French colony after months of sectarian violence that has left thousands dead or homeless.

The mineral-rich country descended into chaos in March last year when Muslim armed groups known as Seleka seized power in a coup, unleashing a wave of killing and looting.

That triggered revenge attacks by Christian militia known as anti-balaka, or anti-machete, and fighting has escalated in recent days despite the presence of about 1 600 French troops and 5 000 African Union peacekeepers.

A Muslim former minister was hacked to death by machete-wielding militiamen in Bangui on Friday. At least nine others were killed when bands of people, some of them Christian groups, attacked and looted shops in the mostly Muslim Miskine neighbourhood of the capital, witnesses said.

The violence has killed more than 2 000 since December, and forced about a million people – nearly a quarter of the population – to flee their homes.

– Reuters

No comments: