Dear Comrades,
This is a very terrible thing that is happening.
The Central African Republic (CAR) has a small population of less than
five million mostly extremely poor people in a rather large country that
has very favourable natural resources.
The reports that we have seen from CAR in recent days are consistent
with a US-led, French-supported Christmas-time "regime change".
In 2011 in the "African Country of the Week" series, I wrote:
Central African Republic (CAR)
_Name_
_Population_
_GDP: $bn_
_Currency_
_President/PM_
_Capital_
**
**
**
*CentralAfricanRepublic
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_African_Republic>*
4,422,000
$1.986
CA CFA franc
*François Bozizé
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fran%C3%A7ois_Boziz%C3%A9>*
*Bangui <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangui>*
/The////Central////African////Republic////is a large country with a
small population that nominally became independent in 1960, but
which has been dominated by its neo-colonial relationship with its
former colonial occupier, France./
//
/The public political record of the CAR is polluted with
contestations based upon whether the personalities involved were
favoured, or not favoured, by France./
//
/*Jean-Bédel Bokassa
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-B%C3%A9del_Bokassa>*////was once
the President of this country, famous for declaring himself an Emperor./
//
/In 2001////*Jean-Pierre Bemba
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Pierre_Bemba>*//, a rebel leader
in the neighbouring DRC, came to the assistance of the elected CAR
President,////*Ange-Félix Patassé
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ange-F%C3%A9lix_Patass%C3%A9>*//.///
//
/Bemba was later arrested and charged by the International Criminal
Court in relation to this operation. This trial is still going on./
//
/In 2003, after making a coup d'état against the elected President
(Patassé) the former General////*François Bozizé
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fran%C3%A7ois_Boziz%C3%A9>*////was
elected in what Wikipedia calls a fair election, in 2003.///
//
/It is believed that both Bemba and Patassé have in effect been
punished for being too anti-Imperialist./
//
/The result of the latest presidential election was announced
yesterday. Bozizé has been elected again, but the other candidates,
including Patassé, have rejected the result./
//
/Through the fog of neo-colonial politics it appears that the
political economy of the CAR, like that of nearby Gabon, resembles a
large French farm./
VC
On 2012/12/28 09:26 AM, VC wrote:
*
**"The State"*
*US shuts embassy in Central African Republic***
*Lolita C. Baldor, Associated Press, The State, South Carolina, USA*
WASHINGTON --- The State Department has closed its embassy in the
Central African Republic and ordered the ambassador and his diplomatic
team to leave the country as rebels there continue to advance and
violence escalates, U.S. officials said Thursday.
A Pentagon spokesman, Lt. Col. Todd Breasseale, said that at the State
Department's request, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta had directed U.S.
Africa Command to evacuate U.S. citizens and designated foreign
nationals from the U.S. Embassy in Bangui "to safe havens in the region."
State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell said the U.S. Embassy had
temporarily suspended operations, but not diplomatic relations with
the country.
"This decision is solely due to concerns about the security of our
personnel and has no relation to our continuing and long-standing
diplomatic relations" with the Central African Republic, Ventrell said
in a statement.
Shortly after announcing the evacuation Thursday, the State Department
warned U.S. citizens against travel to the Central African Republic,
saying it could not "provide protection or routine consular services
to U.S. citizens" and urging Americans who have decided to stay to
"review their personal security situation and seriously consider
departing" on commercial flights. Four days earlier, the State
Department had issued a warning recommending against travel to the
country and authorizing its non-emergency personnel in Bangui to leave.
U.S. officials said about 40 people were evacuated on an U.S. Air
Force plane bound for Kenya. The officials spoke on condition of
anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the details of
the operation.
The departure of Ambassador Laurence Wohlers and his staff comes as
the president of the Central African Republic on Thursday urgently
called on France and other foreign powers to help his government fend
off rebels who are quickly seizing territory and approaching this
capital city, but French officials declined to offer any military
assistance.
Rebels have seized at least 10 towns across the sparsely populated
north, and residents in the capital of 600,000 people fear insurgents
could attack at any time.
The developments suggest the Central African Republic could be on the
brink of another violent change in government, something not new to
the impoverished country. The current president, Francois Bozize,
himself came to power nearly a decade ago in the wake of a rebellion.
Speaking to crowds in Bangui, Bozize pleaded with foreign powers to do
what they could. He pointed in particular to France, Central African
Republic's former colonial ruler.
About 200 French soldiers are already in the country, providing
technical support and helping to train the local army, according to
the French defense ministry.
French President Francois Hollande said Thursday that France wants to
protect its interests in Central African Republic and not Bozize's
government. Paris is encouraging peace talks between the government
and the rebels.
President Barack Obama late last year sent about 100 U.S. special
operations forces to the region - including Central African Republic -
to assist in the hunt for Joseph Kony, the fugitive rebel leader of
the notorious Lord's Resistance Army. Forces have been hunting the
elusive warlord in Central African Republic, South Sudan and Congo.
* Associated Press writer Matthew Lee contributed to this report.
*From:
http://www.thestate.com/2012/12/27/2569964/us-shuts-embassy-in-central-african.html#.UN0UEeSE2O8
*
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