The UN ordered non-essential staff to leave the Central African Republic because of fears of unrest. Source: AAP
BANGUI, Central African Republic, Dec 27 AFP - More regional troops are being sent to secure the capital of the Central African Republic ahead of a rebel advance, with France saying it has no plan to intervene in its former colony's conflict.
"Bangui is fully secured by the troops" of the FOMAC central African military force, its commander, General Jean-Felix Akaga, said on national radio on Thursday.
"Others will arrive to help reinforce this mission of securing Bangui," he added.
The comments came as the UN said it was pulling out non-essential staff from the country where a rebel coalition called Seleka has seized four major regional capitals in less than a month.
The US is also urging its nationals to leave.
French President Francois Hollande said its troops in the country would not be interfering in the conflict, a day after hundreds of protesters at the French embassy in Bangui demanded Paris do more to stem the rebels' momentum.
"If we are present, it is not to protect a regime, it is to protect our nationals and our interests, and in no way to intervene in the internal affairs of a country, in this case Central Africa," he said.
"Those days are gone," he added.
France has about 250 soldiers based at Bangui airport providing technical support to a peacekeeping mission run by the central African bloc ECCAS, according to the defence ministry in Paris.
Since the end of colonisation in the 1960s, French troops in western Africa have often aided former colonies whose regimes were on the verge of being toppled.
The government in Bangui on Wednesday urged France to help facilitate a dialogue with the rebels, while alluding to the French military presence.
"The Central African Republic has not lost sight of France's important contribution in the restructuring of our defence and security forces, because it has often sent military advisers to work with the Central African military and they have always played a role," said a statement from the minister of territorial administration Josue Binoua.
The rebels began their push in early December, charging that President Francois Bozize and his government haven't abided by the terms of peace deals signed between 2007-2011.
As the ill-equipped and underpaid Central African army proved little challenge to the insurgents, Bozize asked for assistance from neighbouring Chad, which helped him during rebellions in the north in 2010.
With the government now largely restricted to Bangui, the Chadian troops are the only real obstacle to the rebels who are now about 300 kilometres away.
The United Nations on Wednesday ordered more than 200 non-essential staff and families of other workers to leave the Central African Republic because of the rebel offensive.
The UN has a major political mission in the Central African Republic seeking to help the government overcome more than a decade of strife.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon strongly condemned armed attacks on several towns by the rebels.
Washington expressed "deep concern" and warned all Americans to leave the country "until the security situation improved".
Nassour Ouaidou, the head of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), told AFP the body was trying to broker a truce.
The Central African Republic is a mineral-rich, landlocked country with less than five million residents. It ranks 179 out of 187 countries on the UN's latest development index and has seen frequent coups and mutinies.
Bozize seized power in a coup in 2003.
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