French
troops trade fire with ex-rebels in Central African Republic
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[December 09, 2013]
BANGUI (Reuters) — French troops
traded fire with former rebels in Central African Republic's capital
Bangui on Monday as they sought to disarm fighters after violence in
which hundreds have been killed, a peacekeeping force official said.
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France began operations to disarm, by force if necessary, mainly
Muslim Seleka fighters and rival Christian militias on Monday,
setting up checkpoints on Bangui's main roads and searching vehicles
for weapons.
Shooting erupted near the airport after Seleka gunmen refused to
hand over their weapons, a spokesman for the Multinational Force of
Central Africa (FOMAC) peacekeepers said.
"I'm here now. The Seleka (ex-rebels) didn't want to disarm. There
was a brief exchange of fire, and they ran away," Celestin Christ
Leon said.
In Paris, a spokesman for the French army joint staff said the
incident was "insignificant" and had lasted less than 10 minutes.
"The disarmament operations have started. Things are going well,"
Colonel Gilles Jaron said, adding that French troops had already
arrested 10 men and seized weapons.
France has sent 1,600 troops to end months of instability in its
former colony after bloodshed between Muslims and Christians last
week.
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At least 459 people have been killed in Bangui alone since Thursday,
according to the local Red Cross.
(Reporting by Emmanuel Braun; additional reporting by Marine Pennetier in Paris,
writing by Joe Bavier; editing by Emma Farge
and Angus MacSwan)
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