2 CAR rebel leaders held
2006-11-26 09:37
Cotonou - Police in Benin have detained two rebel leaders whose fighters captured several towns in Central African Republic, officials said on Saturday.
The two are rebel chief Michel Am Non Droko Djotodia and rebel spokesman Abakar Saboune, police and court officials said on condition of anonymity because they are not authorised to speak to the media.
Both men were detained on Wednesday on an international warrant issued after a court in Central African Republic's capital, Bangui, requested their arrest, police said.
The rebels, who control three towns in the northern tip of Central African Republic, accuse that country's government of corruption, mismanagement and favoring some ethnic groups over others.
Saboune has spoken publicly during interviews on international radio stations over the last two weeks and indicated he was in Cotonou, Benin's seaside commercial capital.
Central African Republic, with a population of 3.6m people, has suffered decades of army revolts, coups and rebellions since it gained independence from France in 1960.
Its president, Francois Bozize, took power in 2003 after his rebels attacked the capital and ousted ex-President Ange-Felix Patasse, who now lives in exile in Togo, which neighbours Benin. Bozize went on to win elections in May 2005.
- AP