Central African President accuses Sudan over raid

Nov 1, 2006 (N’DJAMENA) — Central African Republic President Francois Bozize on Wednesday accused Sudan of sending armed rebels across the border to occupy a northeastern town in his country.

“In the last 48 hours, the Central African Republic has been attacked by the same country which has harmed Chad. Let’s be clear: It is (Sudanese President Omar Hassan) al-Bashir and he must stop behaving like this,” Bozize told reporters in Chad after overnight talks with President Idriss Deby.

Central African Republic, a landlocked former French colony and one of the poorest nations in the world, has said armed raiders on Monday occupied the town of Birao, more than 800 km (500 miles) northeast of the capital Bangui.

The government said the attackers had advanced from Am Dafok on the Sudanese border.

Central African Republic had initially protested to Khartoum about the attack, demanding an explanation, and it also appealed to the international community for help.

Toughening his government’s stance, Bozize on Wednesday directly accused Sudan of instigating the raid.

“This friendly brother country uses a lot of resources to arm people whom it sends into Central African territory without motives. We don’t understand how Sudan can behave like this,” the president said.

The attack on Birao marked a spillover south into Central African Republic of the political and ethnic conflict which has raged in Sudan’s western Darfur region since 2003. The same conflict has also pushed refugees and rebels into Chad.

(Reuters)