Rebels routed from northern city

Government troops in the Central African Republic (CAR), backed by a militia from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), have expelled rebels from the northwestern town of Bossembele, 157 km from the capital, Bangui, thereby ending weeks of occupation, state-owned radio reported on Wednesday. "We came here ... to show everybody that Bossembele is free, that the road to Bouar is open," Prime Minister Martin Ziguele said on Tuesday. He had just toured the town, accompanied by diplomats, MPs, representatives of UN humanitarian agencies and NGOs, leaders of political parties and reporters. The 454-km Bouar-Bangui road links the capital to the Cameroonian port of Douala, through which almost all the CAR's imports and exports pass. Ziguele said government troops were still trying to secure the remaining rebel-occupied parts of the country. The rebels, supporters of the renegade former army chief of staff, Gen Francois Bozize, had first invaded Bangui on 25 October. State-owned Radio Centrafrique said five rebels had been killed, and "only a few government soldiers wounded" in Monday's action. However, it noted that many homes had been burnt. Moreover, a French driving licence had been found at Bossembele, strengthening Patasse's suspicions that Caucasian mercenaries were among the rebels. "There were also white mercenaries in this morning's fighting in Bossembele," he said in an address to the nation on Monday. "If God wills it, we will capture them and show them to the national and international communities." Humanitarian workers who toured the town said there was an urgent need to bring aid relief to the residents who had fled during the fighting. "The population has pleaded for help," Massimiliano Pedretti, the representative of Coperazione Internationale (Coopi), told IRIN on Wednesday. He said Coopi was ready to help if and when the UN humanitarian agencies invited it to do so. Earlier, on Tuesday, 12 political opposition parties questioned President Patasse's offer of dialogue with political and civil society leaders. The opposition parties have demanded that before any dialogue is held with the government, Patasse must withdraw all foreign troops, sign a ceasefire with the rebels, and agree to exclude nobody from the proposed talks. Libyan troops and the DRC rebel Mouvement de liberation Du Congo headed by Jean-Pierre Bemba support Patasse. However, Libyan troops are due to leave the country as soon as a regional force from the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC)arrive. The UN Security Council voiced support on Tuesday for the deployment of the CEMAC troops, and called on the international community to provide logistical and financial support. Libya has already announced its willingness to fly the troops to Bangui.