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Kabbah pledges to rebuild army

Map of Central African Republic (CAR) IRIN
Plusieurs cas de vandalisme et de vols à main armés se sont signalés à Bangui depuis le 15 mars, suite au coup d'Etat commandité par François Bozizé , un ancien chef d’état-major, qui a renversé le Président Ange-Félix Patassé
    BANGUI

    Sierra Leone President Alhaji Ahmad Tejan Kabbah has pledged to rebuild his country’s army ahead of Nigeria’s planned withdrawal from the ECOMOG force, news reports said. Speaking over state radio yesterday, Kabbah said his government had begun recruiting, training and equipping former army and militia fighters to “complement the efforts of ECOMOG and eventually take over the defence of this country”. Kabbah added that his government was developing bilateral military agreements with foreign countries. He also accused a “multinational mercenary force” of planning and funding the attempt to capture Freetown. Denouncing the “alarming level of civilian collaboration with the rebels”, Kabbah added it was “disheartening” that so many people condoned “the type of barbarity witnessed in the capital”.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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