[Peace-discuss] africa

[Dlind49 at aol.com]

U.S. Sends Team to African Republic
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS


Filed at 8:27 a.m. ET


WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Pentagon sent a team Thursday to the Central African 
Republic to assess the safety of Americans as rebels battled to topple the 
nation's president, defense officials said.

The small assessment team from the U.S. European Command went to look at 
security, infrastructure and other factors ``in the event that we may need to 
take any action to evacuate or protect U.S. citizens,'' said Army Maj. Bill 
Bigelow, spokesman for the command in Stuttgart.

Rebels supporting the ousted army chief, Gen. Francois Bozize, have been 
trying to overthrow President Ange-Felix Patasse. In November, the 
65-year-old president accused Bozize of attempting to overthrow him and 
ordered his arrest. But Bozize fled to Chad and later moved to Paris at the 
insistence of regional leaders.

Bozize returned to Paris on Tuesday after a weekend trip to the capital of 
C.A.R.'s neighbor, Chad, where he met with several lieutenants.

Fewer than 150 U.S. citizens live in the Central African Republic, defense 
officials said. The State Department issued a travel warning Friday night and 
advised Americans in the capital, Bangui, to remain in their homes until the 
situation stabilizes.

The security situation in the country, plagued by attempted coups and 
mutinies for the past several years, remains fluid and uncertain, the warning 
said.