Regional force declares the north safe

The north of the Central African Republic has been declared safe, and all major transport routes are now open, following a joint security operation by the national army and peacekeepers from the Economic and Monetary Community of Central African States (CEMAC), CEMAC spokesman Col Augustin Bibaye told IRIN on Friday. Bearers of illegal firearms in the region were neutralised during the operation, which lasted from 28 to 31 July, Bibaye said. The troops had chased armed robbers from transport routes, he added. "Highwaymen and armed robbers operate now in inaccessible areas," he said. Bibaye was speaking in Bangui on his return from the mission, in which he led 100 troops to the northern and eastern towns of Damara, Bogangolo, Bouca, Batangafo, Kaga Bandoro, Dekoa, and Sibut. He said broken bridges and the poor state of roads had prevented the force from pursuing the armed men into remote areas. Armed gangs been reported at Bogangolo, 176 km northeast of the capital, Bangui, and at Bouca, 286 km north of Bangui, he told IRIN. Bibaye said no incident was registered during the mission and no arms caches were reported by local populations. "Many of the people were on their way back to their home villages," he said. The operations, conducted on a weekly basis, are aimed at reassuring displaced persons and have also allowed the government to send military and administrative authorities to the provinces, Bibaye explained. He said the next one would be to Bambari and Bria, 385 km and 597 km northeast of Bangui. Thousands of people in the north fled their homes after fighting erupted between government troops and rebels in October 2002. The war ended when former army chief of staff General Francois Bozize overthrew President Ange-Felix Patasse on 15 March 2003. However, insecurity persisted across the country, with armed gangs terrorising local populations. After Bozize's coup, the mandate of the CEMAC force - to protect Patasse, secure the CAR-Chad border and restructure the CAR army - became obsolete. On 2 June, the force was reinforced with a contingent of 121 Chadians, who joined the 139 Gabonese troops and 120 from the Republic of Congo already deployed there. The force was mandated to secure and defend Bangui and provincial towns as well as the main transport routes and to reform the army.