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French jets bomb town in central african republic Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)    http://www.forbes.com/home/feeds/ap/2006/11/30/ap3217380.html http://www.forbes.com/home/feeds/ap/2006/11/30/ap3217380.html Associated Press Jets Bomb Central African Republic Town By JOSEPH BENAMMSE 11.30.06, 1:43 PM ET French fighter jets bombed a rebel-held town in Central African Republic on Thursday, and rebels pulled troops out of another town after fighting with government forces, a rebel official said. Rebel forces withdrew from the northern town of Ouadda after clashes with government troops backed by a small Central African peacekeeping force, Diego Albator Yao, who is in charge of rebel military operations, said by telephone from an undisclosed location. Elsewhere, French jets and helicopters attacked rebel positions in nearby Ndele, but rebels still held the town, Yao said. There was no immediate confirmation from French officials, but French firepower has put rebels on the run in recent days. A French military spokesman said earlier this week that French Mirage fighters fired on rebel positions in Birao in support of an army operation there, and Yao confirmed rebel troops pulled out of the town Tuesday after two days of clashes. Yao said rebel forces pulled out of Ouadda fearing a French onslaught. Ouadda, however, was not attacked by French forces, he said. "I asked my men to pull out of Ouadda and leave it to government forces," Yao said. "It is useless to confront them given that the French are intervening with helicopters and jet fighters." France recently added 100 troops to its 200 soldiers in Central African Republic to aid the government in countering the rebellion and to help secure borders with Chad and Sudan, both wracked by internal conflict. Central African Republic, a poor country of 3.6 million people in the heart of Africa, has been ravaged by coups and army mutinies since independence from France in 1960. Unrest in Sudan's Darfur, which neighbors the country, has added to instability in both the Central African Republic and Chad. A small peacekeeping force deployed by the Economic and Monetary Community of Central African states has been in the country for a decade. The 380 troops include soldiers from Cameroon, Gabon, Chad, Republic of Congo and Equatorial Guinea. Since late October, rebels have captured a handful of towns in the country's northern tip - demanding as they progress that the administration meet with them to answer to their charges of corruption, mismanagement and the favoring of some ethnic groups over others. After pulling out of Birao and Ouadda, insurgents still hold three towns: Ndele, Ouadda-Djalle and Sam Ouandja. Central African Republic President Francois Bozize seized power after leading rebel army that seized the capital, Bangui, in 2003. Bozize toppled ex-President Ange-Felix Patasse. Bozize went on to win elections in May 2005. The government claims the latest rebellion is backed by Sudan, but Sudan denies the claim. Copyright 2006 Associated Press.

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