National Assembly condemns coup attempt, calls for national dialogue

The National Assembly of the Central African Republic (CAR) in a resolution adopted on Friday condemned the attempted coup of 25 October and called for a national dialogue in an effort to achieve reconciliation amongst all Central Africans, Centrafrique-Presse reported.

The CAR capital, Bangui, was besieged for six days by forces allied to Gen Francois Bozize, the former CAR army chief of staff. With the aid of some 200 soldiers from Libya, who had been in place since the attempted coup of 28 May 2001, and Jean-Pierre Bemba's Mouvement de liberation du Congo (MLC) rebel movement from the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Bozize's forces were driven northwards toward the Chadian border.

The resolution further called for the immediate establishment of a "crisis government" to manage the current emergency. It appealed to the international donor community for urgent aid for the CAR, called on the military to do everything possible to restore peace across the country, and authorised the prime minister to lead an inter-ministerial investigation to assess the damage caused by the coup attempt.

It also condemned Chad for allegedly backing the Bozize aggression, and called on France to prevent Central African politicians on their territory from organising actions aimed at destabilising the CAR. Bozize is exiled in France.

In a related development, the National Assembly on 22 November voted 54 to 22 against an opposition coalition motion to have CAR President Ange-Felix Patasse tried by the High Court on charges of treason and abuse of authority in connection with the 25 October coup attempt, Centrafrique-Presse reported on Saturday.

The opposition parliamentary group, PUN/Forum Civique, said Patasse had violated the constitution by failing to first consult with the presidents of the National Assembly and the Constitutional Council before ordering the CAR response, which included calling on the forces of the MLC to assist the CAR military in repulsing Bozize's forces.

Although having succeeded in reversing the Bozize onslaught, soldiers of the MLC have been widely accused of rape and pillage of Bangui residents, particularly in northern neighbourhoods of the capital.