Armed rebel groups in CAR form coalition ahead of polls

 Leaders of three main armed rebel groups occupying large areas of the Central African Republic announced a coalition ahead of next week’s elections.

The move, announced on Saturday, could further increase tensions already on the rise in the troubled country ahead of a presidential and legislative vote on December 27, where the opposition fears massive electoral fraud.

The armed groups decided “to combine all of our movements into a single entity, called the Coalition of Patriots for Change or CPC, under a unified command”, they wrote in the statement.

The CPC invited “all other armed groups to join.” They also urged its members to “scrupulously respect the integrity of the civilian population” and to allow vehicles belonging to the United Nations and to humanitarian groups to circulate freely.

The UN mission in the CAR, MINUSCA, said on Friday that its blue helmet forces were on “maximum alert” to prevent armed groups from disrupting the elections.

The CAR spiralled into conflict in 2013, when then-president Francois Bozize was overthrown by the Seleka, a rebel coalition drawn largely from the Muslim minority

The coup triggered a bloodbath between the Seleka and so-called “Anti-balaka” self-defense forces.

France intervened militarily in its former colony and after a transitional period, elections were staged in 2016 and won by president Faustin-Archange Touadera.

Inter-communal fighting has receded in intensity in the last two years, but armed groups hold sway over two-thirds of the country, often fighting over resources.

SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES