CAR president voices concerns

Senior UN officials last week visited the Central African Republic (CAR) for talks with President Ange-Felix Patasse on the DRC crisis, and its effects on his country. According to diplomatic sources, President Patasse emphasised the need to guarantee the CAR’s border security, given that tens of thousands of DRC refugees have fled the fighting in Equateur province into his country. River traffic on the Ubangui river between the two countries is increasingly becoming a target of the clashes between DRC government troops and rebels of the Mouvement de liberation du Congo (MLC). The CAR river transport company, SOCATRAF, recently complained that a convoy of five boats - en route to Bangui from Brazzaville - was attacked by three MLC rockets on 29 July, one of which exploded on CAR territory.