Government sends troops to six towns

The government of the Central African Republic (CAR) has sent troops to six "priority" towns across the country in an effort to restore security and facilitate normalisation, following fighting between October 2002 and March 2003 and insecurity that has persisted ever since. In a report issued by the prime minister's office on Saturday after consultations with an EC delegation, the government said 150 soldiers had been sent to each town. The towns are Bouar, 454 km northwest of the capital, Bangui; Bria, 597 km northeast of Bangui; Zemio, 1,033 km east of Bangui; Kaga-Bandoro, 342 north of Bangui; Birao, 1,101 northeast of Bangui; and Nola, 252 km west of Bangui. Except Bouar and Nola, these towns were either in zones formerly held by fighters loyal to CAR leader Francois Bozize such as Kaga-Bandoro, or in zones that were previously isolated from Bangui, where uncontrolled armed groups continue to terrorise the public, preventing those displaced by fighting from returning. The insecurity has also hindered NGOs from conducting humanitarian operations. Bouar and Nola are strategic as the former straddles the main route to the Cameroonian seaport of Douala and the latter is known for its diamond mines. The government also said that between 12 June and 12 July, security forces recovered 95 firearms, 1,250 bullets and captured 149 former fighters. In the same period, security forces arrested 28 suspected robbers in Bangui. Bozize seized power from President Ange-Felix Patasse on 15 March but has failed to restore security across the country; many of his former fighters have escaped disarmament campaigns. Meantime, the minister in charge of territorial administration, Marcel Malonga, announced on Wednesday on state-owned Radio Centrafrique that seven of the 16 provincial governors were to report to their duty stations on Thursday. The governors of Ouham in the north, Ouaka and Kemo in the east-central region, Basse-Kotto and Mbomou in the east, Nana-Gribizi in the north have not yet reported due to insecurity and lack of transport. Malonga directed the governors to begin work pending their official installation. The absence of administrative officials has discouraged the displaced from returning to their homes and encouraged the proliferation of operations by armed bands. Military authorities have declared some regions, especially the north, as insecure for humanitarian operations.