CAR Minister arrives for talks to defuse tension

The foreign minister of the Central African Republic (CAR), Agba Otikpo Mezode, arrived on Tuesday in N'djamena, Chad, for talks with his Chadian counterpart aimed at defusing the growing tension between the two neighbouring countries. "He has also come here to talk about Bozize who has sought refuge in Chad," an official of the Chadian Ministry of Communications told IRIN on Wednesday. General Francois Bozize, a former CAR army chief of staff, fled to the southern Chadian town of Sarh in November 2001 with some 300 supporters after army troops tried to apprehend him on the orders of a judicial commission probing a failed coup. He denied involvement in the 28 May coup bid. The Chadian ministry official said Bozize had been granted refuge out of "humanitarian concern". Tension rose between two countries as CAR government forces pursued those loyal to Bozize along the border between the two countries. More recently, four people were killed in two separate incidents when armed men led by a Chadian rebel raided southern Chad from CAR. The raids, on 29 and 31 December, were the first such incidents since Bangui and N'djamena agreed at a meeting earlier that month to lower the tension. Chad has deployed troops "to block the infiltration of CAR troops in Chad", the Chadian official said, "but there has been no direct confrontation between the armies of the two countries."