Nigeria deploys army to northeast to fight rebels

LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — Nigeria rumbled to a war footing Wednesday as soldiers and equipment moved into its northeastern states as part of an emergency military campaign against Islamic extremists waging a bloody insurgency.

In the last two days, Associated Press journalists and witnesses have seen armored tanks and soldiers moving through major roads and cities in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states. Those states, crossing an arid region of some 155,000 square kilometers (60,000 square miles), are now under a state of emergency declared by President Goodluck Jonathan Tuesday night. The presidential order allows the military to arrest anyone at will and raid any building suspected of housing extremists.

Residents of the northeastern region greeted the new military campaign with faded hope and suspicion. Some prayed for an end of a violent guerrilla campaign that's killed more than 1,600 people since 2010, according to an AP count.

"Let's hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel; we have had enough killings and attacks and this created a tense situation in the land," said Amuga Keftin, who teaches at the Modibbo Adama University of Technology in Yola, the state capital of Adamawa state.

Others worried that regular life would halt entirely in the region, as people stay home out of fear of being targeted by security forces already accused of harassing, detaining and even killing civilians.

"We are waiting to see the arrival of the soldiers and it's our hope that unprovoked attacks, arrests and (abuses will) not be witnessed," Adamawa state resident Rabecca Musa said.

It was unclear the exact strength of the incoming military presence. A statement issued Wednesday by Brig. Gen. Chris Olukolade, a military spokesman, promised a "massive deployment of men and resources." However, Olukolade did not provide specifics and did not return calls for comment.

"The operational (planners) have also briefed participating troops appropriately on arrests, cordon and search — especially directed at apprehending those who have been violating sovereignty of Nigeria through terrorist training for insurgency and related activities," said Olukolade's statement.

In Maiduguri, the spiritual home of the Islamic extremist network known as Boko Haram, state officials said soldiers had been airlifted into the city. An AP journalist saw convoys of military vehicles on Monday night heading north into the rural expanse that borders Niger and Chad.

Nigeria's military also has jet fighters and attack helicopters, but it was not clear if those would be used in the assault.

Under the president's directive, soldiers have ultimate control over security matters in the three states, though his order allows civilian governments to remain in place. Such declarations are rare in Nigeria, a nation that abandoned a revolving door of coups and military rulers for democracy in 1999. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo placed two states under emergency rule during his tenure, throwing out elected leaders and installing caretaker governments.

This is Jonathan's second declaration of a state of emergency. In late December 2011, he declared emergencies in parts of four states, including Borno and Yobe. However, that declaration and an increased security presence failed to end the violence that is plaguing the nation.

The president's speech Tuesday offered the starkest vision of the ongoing violence, often downplayed by security forces and government officials due to political considerations. Jonathan described the attacks as a "rebellion," at one point describing how fighters had destroyed government buildings and "had taken women and children as hostages." He even acknowledged for the first time that Nigerian forces had lost control of some villages and towns in the northeast, something analysts and residents have warned has happened.

Nigeria's military even has said Islamic fighters now use anti-aircraft guns mounted on trucks to fight the nation's soldiers, likely outgunning the country's already overstretched security forces.

While the military prepares for its campaign, human rights activists remain concerned about the possibility of soldiers indiscriminately arresting and killing civilians. A recent military operation in a fishing village in Borno state along the shores of Lake Chad saw at least 187 people killed amid allegations that soldiers were responsible. While the military has denied repeatedly that it attacks and kills civilians, the country's armed forces have a history of committing such assaults.

"The path towards public safety cannot be an expansion of violations of the rights of Nigerians," Jibrin Ibrahim, the director of the Center for Democracy and Development, said in a statement. "We believe that the human rights of citizens should not be secondary to the provision of security."

In Washington, State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell condemned Boko Haram's "campaign of terror" and echoed the need to deal with the "worsening cycle of violence in northern Nigeria."

But he said Nigeria must ensure that its security forces "protect civilians in any security response in a way that respects human rights and the rule of law." Recent allegations of abuses in Baga and elsewhere in the north need to be fully investigated, with those responsible for wrongdoing held accountable, he said.

"We have made clear to the Nigerian government that its heavy-handed response to insecurity in northern Nigeria and the failure to address human rights violations will potentially affect our ability to provide security assistance going forward," Ventrell told reporters. "We've made that message clear to the Nigerians."

Meanwhile, violence pitting different ethnic groups against each other continues, with clashes that kill dozens at a time. In addition, authorities acknowledged Tuesday that a single attack by an ethnic militia in Nasarawa state killed at least 46 police officers and 10 agents with the country's secret police.

Even Jonathan in his speech Tuesday named 11 states in Nigeria that have suffered in "the recent spate of terrorist activities and protracted security challenges." The president's tally identified nearly a third of the states in Nigeria, without him mentioning the eastern states suffering through a spate of kidnappings and those in the oil-rich southern delta where crude oil thefts go unstopped. His words signal the serious challenges now facing this country's weak, increasingly embattled central government.

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Associated Press writers contributing to this report include Mohammed Abubakar in Potiskum, Nigeria; Haruna Umar in Maiduguri, Nigeria; Ibrahim Abdul in Yola, Nigeria; Bashir Adigun in Abuja, Nigeria; and Bradley Klapper in Washington.

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Jon Gambrell can be reached at www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP .

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Central African Republic rebels demand payment

BANGUI, Central African Republic (AP) — The Seleka rebels who overthrew Central African Republic's president are now demanding that they be paid before they disarm.

Seleka Lt. Ali Alkanto said Saturday that his fighters should receive salaries before they lay down their arms.

He said if the new government doesn't pay the rebels there could be violent clashes.

The demand raises concerns about growing dissent within the rebel movement.

Seleka now controls the national government, headed by Michel Djotodia, although observers say those in the capital wield little control over the rebels who are in the country's north.

While the rebels await payment, senior Seleka leaders have set up residence at the countrkly's only luxury hotel.

Seleka is made up of a coalition of several different rebel groups.

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Red Cross visits 12 kidnapped by Senegal rebels

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — The International Committee of the Red Cross said in a statement that they visited 12 employees of a South African bomb disposal firm currently being held by rebels from the Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance.

The employees, all of whom are Senegalese nationals, were grabbed on May 3 in southern Senegal's Casamance region, where they were helping clear mines for Denel Mechem, a South African firm which began working in the area in July 2012.

Delegation head Thierry Parodi said Wednesday that the Red Cross was able to speak with the detainees in private and were able to give them writing material so that they could send messages to their families. They also brought them hygiene items, sleeping mats and blankets.

The rebels have not made their demands public.

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WWF: Seleka rebels from CAR invade elephant park

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — The WWF said in a statement that suspected poachers belonging to the Seleka rebel group have entered one of Africa's most unique elephant habitats in the Central African Republic, and park guards saw them shooting in the direction of elephants.

According to the WWF, a group of 17 armed men who presented themselves as belonging to Central African Republic's transitional government, which is led by the Seleka rebels, entered the Dzanga-Ndoki National Park on Monday and headed for Dzanga Bai, known locally as the "village of elephants," a clearing where up to 200 elephants congregate every day.

Researchers in the park said they heard shots coming from the Bai. Also on Monday, two park guards saw the armed men inside the viewing tower shooting in the direction of the elephants.

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In CAR, diamonds are a rebel's best friend

NDELE, Central African Republic (AP) — Armed with rocket-propelled grenades and Kalashnikov rifles, Seleka rebels who ousted Central African Republic's president six weeks ago are solidifying their control over the country's lucrative diamond industry and have even been selling some of the stones, witnesses here in the isolated and violent north say.

Rebels have for several years controlled some of the diamond-producing areas in the north, but with the overthrow of President Francois Bozize in March the Seleka rebel coalition now is the government, posing one of the greatest challenges in years to international efforts to stem the trade of "blood diamonds."

Fighters are blocking off diamond-producing areas, residents and local officials told an Associated Press reporter who recently visited Ndele, a rebel-controlled town in northern Central African Republic.

Central African Republic's new government insists that it intends to fully comply with the Kimberley Process, which aims to curb the trade in blood diamonds whose profits have driven some of the bloodiest conflicts in Africa over the past 20 years. It went into effect in 2003 in the aftermath of the brutal West African civil wars in Sierra Leone and Liberia where diamonds were used by armed groups to fund the conflicts.

"We remain in the Kimberley Process and we respect the principle," said new Information Minister Christophe Gazam Betty.

Newly appointed Minister of Mines Herbert Gontran Djono-Ahaba declined on several occasions to be interviewed on the subject. He is a member of the Seleka alliance, whose fighters have set up checkpoints along the dirt paths leading to mining areas around Ndele.

Seleka rebels are now in control there, say residents who fled the town of Sangba, about 85 kilometers (50 miles) southeast of Ndele.

"The diamond business is now forbidden to anyone who is not with Seleka," said one local official who fled from Sangba. The official refused to be identified because of security concerns.

Even more worrisome, the Seleka members are — according to several people who fled Sangba — being aided by armed fighters from neighboring Sudan known as the Janjaweed, who were accused of committing atrocities against civilians in Darfur. Sudan, whose leader is wanted by the International Criminal Court, is not part of the Kimberley Process. Observers fear many of Central African Republic's illicit diamonds are being funneled into Sudan.

The residents spoke to AP only on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals from the rebels, who roam through the area's towns in stolen vehicles full of rocket-propelled grenades and other weapons.

The Kimberley Process system for certifying the origin of diamonds is meant to inform customers about where the stones originated. Diamonds are exported with certificates saying they are conflict-free. Countries found to be in violation cannot legally export their gems to the major diamond cutting hubs of Belgium, Israel and India. The case of Central African Republic could become the most significant test in years of the Kimberley Process.

The Kimberley Process has initiated procedures that could lead to a temporary suspension of Central African Republic until a review mission can be sent, Kimberley Process chair Welile Nhlapo told a meeting of the diamond industry in Tel Aviv on Monday.

"The developments in the Central African Republic inform us that there are still situations where conflict diamonds continue to fuel rebel activities to remove elected official governments," Nhlapo told the meeting of the World Diamond Council.

Members in the initiative are set to respond by Friday to the proposed suspension, which would go into effect shortly thereafter if approved by majority, Nhlapo told the AP on the sidelines of the meeting.

The Kimberley Process says conflict diamonds today account for less than 1 percent of the gems worldwide, yet their definition is limited to "rough diamonds used by rebel movements or their allies to finance armed conflicts aimed at undermining legitimate governments."

The Seleka rebels maintain the government they overthrew was in fact not legitimate. Bozize, the president they ousted, himself came to power in 2003 following a rebellion.

The chaos in the north has scared off many foreign diamond traders, but local dealers still purchasing gems confirm that Seleka elements have been deeply entrenched in the industry in recent months. Some were digging for diamonds before the offensive on the capital, Bangui, and they joined the final push to force out Bozize.

"The majority of miners here are in the rebellion so production has been down," said one local diamond buyer a few weeks after Bangui fell to rebel rule. "With the return of Seleka home, it could increase."

The rebels began their advance in December, descending upon a dozen towns across in the north in rapid succession, taking the diamond-producing areas around Sam Ouandja, Ouadda, Ndele, Bamingui and Bria in little over a week's time.

Kimberley Process will likely impose an embargo on Central African Republic's diamonds, said Alan Martin with Partnership Africa Canada, a nonprofit organization that has worked for more than a decade to halt the trade in conflict diamonds and is an official observer with the Kimberley Process.

"The fact that rebels are now in control of the government would mean that they would be the ones taking the proceeds of the diamonds, so that's the problem," he said.

Martin said the Kimberley Process took similar action against Ivory Coast in 2005 amid concerns about the role that rebels were playing in the diamond industry there. The ban remains in effect.

Even if there is an embargo, diamonds could still be smuggled out with sellers attempting to mask their origin so they instead appear to come from a nearby Kimberley Process-compliant country. Already an estimated 30 percent of the country's diamonds leave the country illicitly, according to the International Crisis Group. Martin said some smuggled diamonds are believed to end up in Dubai.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Jose Fernandez, who is also taking part in the Tel Aviv conference this week, said the Kimberley Process has "moved slowly" in stemming the flow of conflict diamonds in Central African Republic and that the initiative has been hobbled by its restrictive definition of conflict diamonds, which allows for intervention only in the case of rebel groups attempting to overthrow a government.

"The Central African Republic is an example of why we need to take a more expansive view of what is a conflict diamond," he said. "We feel that we ought to be able to include systematic armed conflict."

Central African Republic's diamonds have been under heightened scrutiny since 2010, when the International Crisis Group detailed abuses by rebels of the Union of Democratic Forces for Unity, or UFDR, seeking to control the diamond mines in the north.

"When a rebel hears that miners have begun to find diamonds, he sometimes works with them and claims a share of the profits," the ICG found. "More often, he forces the miners to hand over diamonds at gunpoint or drives them out and pays others to mine for him."

That same year the United States Embassy in Bangui expressed concern about the role diamonds could be playing in a succession of rebellions across the north.

"We are increasingly suspicious that diamonds are playing a role fueling and funding the conflict," the U.S. Embassy wrote in a January 2010 cable published by WikiLeaks.

Those same rebels who made up the UFDR later joined forces with fighters from other groups to form Seleka in December 2012.

It is unlikely that the Kimberley Process participants will accept the trading of diamonds certified by Seleka, said ICG's Central Africa director Thierry Vircoulon: "I don't believe that the new authorities under (African Union) sanctions are going to be well accepted by the diamond business world."

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Associated Press writer Ariel David in Tel Aviv, Israel contributed to this report.

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Online:

Kimberley Process: http://www.kimberleyprocess.com

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Congo's M23 rebels say peace talks in trouble

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — The Congolese rebel movement M23 has suspended peace talks with Congo's government, a rebel spokesman said Wednesday, increasing fears of renewed violence in the country's troubled east.

The rebels say it is meaningless to negotiate peace when the United Nations is about to deploy a brigade authorized to attack them in eastern Congo, said Rene Abandi, leader of the M23 delegation that was meeting with the Congolese government in neighboring Uganda.

"For us, as M23, there is a break from the talks," said Abandi, speaking by phone from Bunagana, an M23 stronghold in eastern Congo. "We will hope that the government (of Congo) will understand later that war can't solve the conflict in eastern Congo."

M23, the most prominent rebel group operating in eastern Congo, is made up of hundreds of soldiers who deserted the Congolese army last year, accusing the Kinshasa government of failing to honor the terms of a peace deal signed on March 23, 2009. Since December representatives of the rebels and the Congo government have been meeting in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, for on-off peace talks mediated by Uganda under the banner of a regional bloc.

The rebels, widely believed to be backed by Rwanda, last November seized the provincial capital of Goma as U.N. peacekeepers stood by. That event prompted the international community to act toward the creation of a unit of peacekeepers with an enhanced mandate. The U.N. Security Council recently renewed the mandate of MONUSCO, the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Congo, for one year but also authorized the creation of a special unit expected to be deployed before July.

Following the U.N. resolution, the Congolese government asked the rebels to dismantle their movement or risk being the target of the U.N. brigade.

M23 now says the deployment of such a force could mean a return to full-blown war.

"They are coming with an offensive mandate. That's not good," Abandi said.

Tanzania and South Africa, two African countries that will contribute to the planned new brigade, have received threats from M23, which insists its fighters will defend themselves against any attacks.

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Rugby-Crusaders 30 Melbourne Rebels 26 - Super Rugby result

April 28 (Reuters) - Canterbury Crusaders (New Zealand) beat Melbourne Rebels (Australia) 30-26 (halftime 18-11) in their Super Rugby match in Christchurch on Sunday.

Scorers:

Crusaders - Tries: Zac Guilford, Tyler Bleyendaal; Conversion: Tom Taylor; Penalties: Taylor (6)

Rebels - Tries: Scott Higginbotham, James O'Connor, Ged Robinson; Conversion: O'Connor; Penalties: O'Connor (3) (Compiled by Patrick Johnston; Editing by John O'Brien)

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C. African Republic rebels refuge at swank hotel

BANGUI, Central African Republic (AP) — Rebel fighters in Central African Republic seized the presidential palace when they overtook the capital in March, though when it came to setting up shop they set their sights a bit loftier: the city's sole luxury hotel.

With no advance reservation, rebels armed with rocket-propelled grenades and Kalashnikov rifles have turned the five-star Ledger Plaza Bangui into the temporary seat of government. And rebel leader Michel Djotodia is giving new meaning to the term presidential suite: His luxury villa behind the drained swimming pool has a listed rate of about $3,850 a night.

Here, the heavily armed rebels stand guard inside a thatched hut pool bar, and those fresh from the battlefield limp in stolen military fatigues past businessmen in traditional embroidered robes and diplomats who come to meet with the man who now rules mineral-rich Central African Republic.

There's the fever of an inauguration weekend in Washington — only with truckloads full of turbaned rebel forces in the parking lot donning ammunition belts.

"They came in from the villages and they are really excited about being in the big city and seeing what they can collect and capture and loot," one international aid worker said on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals from armed rebels.

It's a rare uptick in business for the posh hotel that opened in September, just months before the volatile capital descended into chaos.

Before the rebels took over the city, the Ledger was most famous for being the place where ex-President Francois Bozize's son ran up a $15,000 bill. Bozize had his son arrested over the unpaid hotel bill.

The ex-president went into exile March 24, after the rebels breached the capital and as fierce fighting across Bangui left an untold number of civilians dead.

The hotel is now home to the top brass who sleep in rooms where executive suites start at $675 a night. The guests, from the rebel alliance known as Seleka, arrived in the days of the invasion and it's not clear how long they'll be staying, said the hotel's general manager Steven Hameeuw.

The exact financial arrangements between the hotel and its rebel guests are also unclear, and Hameeuw declined to comment. But some of those in camouflage can be seen adding lattes and beers to their room tabs.

With its goose-down pillows, dry-cleaning service and central air conditioning, it's a far cry from the rebel hinterlands of the north that lack not only electricity but even paved roads.

Here, clocks in the lobby show the current time of day in New York, Paris, Tripoli, Dubai and Beijing.

Hotel staff keep life humming at the only place in town with 24-7 electricity, running hot water and high-speed Internet. Cocktails are served and fresh flowers put out each day even as rampant looting and volleys of gunfire rock the rest of the city.

In the tiny business center, officials put together and photocopy their announcements of new government appointments for $1 a page.

There is no shortage of plush sofas where visitors await their meetings with the ministers, many of whom have moved into private suites on the hotel's top floor.

Most take their meals in private though rebel strongman Noureddine Adam and Prime Minister Nicolas Tiangaye have been spotted at the nightly dinner buffet that offers up everything from gourmet cheese platters to guacamole to espresso-flavored mousse.

Out front, pick-up trucks full of armed rebels head out for daily patrols. Other fighters sprawl out on the grassy lawn in the sweltering heat.

On one recent afternoon, hotel staff could be seen installing a metal detector at the hotel's main entrance.

"They're asking the rebels to keep their weapons outside," one hotel security guard said on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals by the armed rebels. "They don't want to scare the other guests."

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Rugby-Burgess signs deal to return to Australia with Rebels

April 15 (Reuters) - Former Wallabies half-back Luke Burgess has signed a two-year deal with the Australian Rugby Union and will return from France to play with the Melbourne Rebels, the ARU said on Monday.

The 29-year-old, who has been capped 37 times, would leave French Top 14 club Toulouse at the end of the current campaign to revive his career in Australia, the ARU statement said.

"I'm looking forward to getting home, seeing a few familiar faces and resuming my career in Australia," Burgess said in the statement.

"Obviously representing my country again is a goal, but I'm also looking forward to linking up with the Rebels and playing my part in the ongoing development of the game in Melbourne."

Burgess, who helped the Rebels reach the final of the now-defunct Australian Rugby Championship in 2007, made his last appearance for Australia at the 2011 Rugby World Cup finals.

(Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty in New Delhi, editing by Peter Rutherford)

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Mali secular rebels appoint administrator in Kidal

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (AP) — A secular rebel group seeking independence in northern Mali said late Wednesday it has appointed a civil administrator for the region of Kidal, signaling it is retaking control of the government there as French forces battle radical Islamic fighters.

The National Movement for the Liberation of the Azawad, or NMLA, has been reasserting its presence in Kidal since the French-led intervention forced many of the extremists into the surrounding desert.

Mohamed Aly Ag Al Bessati was chosen Tuesday for the position, according to NMLA representative Moussa Ag Assarid.

"Today our priority is to protect people and property," he said. "These people need an administration to better lead activities and regain daily life."

The secular rebels have said they are willing to work with the French forces but not Malian troops, whom they accuse of committing reprisals against the lighter-skinned Tuaregs and Arabs.

"We can't entrust our destiny to any army that executes our families," Assarid said.

By comparison, Malian soldiers have bolstered the French presence in the northern cities of Gao and Timbuktu that also had been overrun by the radical Islamic fighters.

The Tuareg separatists who make up the NMLA have long sought independence from Mali, and their rebellion last year triggered a March coup in the distant capital.

In the aftermath, the Tuaregs and Islamic extremists had both made rapid advances across northern Mali and the poorly armed Malian soldiers fled.

For several months, the Islamic extremists controlling northern Mali coexisted with the secular Tuareg rebels who want their own state.

The black flag of the extremists fluttered alongside the multi-colored one of the secular rebels, each occupying different areas of the towns.

In late May 2012, the two sides attempted to sign a deal, agreeing to create an independent Islamic state called Azawad.

The agreement between the bon vivant Tuareg rebels and the Taliban-inspired extremists seemed doomed from the start. It fell apart days later. By June, the Islamic extremists had chased the secular rebels out of northern Mali's main cities.

However, a French-led military operation launched in mid-January forced the radical Islamists to flee northern Mali's major towns.

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Rebels patrol Central African Republic capital

BANGUI, Central African Republic (AP) — Teams of rebels patrolled the capital of Bangui on Tuesday after aid groups said their facilities had been looted and robbed in the aftermath of the weekend coup that ousted Central African Republic's president of a decade.

The efforts to restore order to the city of 700,000 came as a rebel leader declared himself the new president and announced he would stay in power for three years.

Continuing violence in Central African Republic was preventing critically wounded patients from getting the help they needed, said the French medical aid group, Medecins Sans Frontieres, or Doctors Without Borders.

"MSF condemns the looting and robberies of our facilities and reminds all parties that medical personnel must be respected and protected and must be granted all available help in the performance of their duties," said Serge St. Louis, MSF head of mission in Bangui.

More than 1,000 armed rebels attacked the capital on Saturday, forcing longtime President Francois Bozize into exile in neighboring Cameroon. The fierce fighting left at least 13 South African soldiers dead and an untold number of civilian casualties.

It was the latest political turmoil to destabilize Central African Republic, a country where leaders since independence from France in 1960 have come to power or been ousted in a series of coups and rebellions.

On Monday, rebel leader Michel Djotodia made his first public declaration since overthrowing Bozize, stating that he planned to stay in power until 2016.

The leader of the rebel coalition known as Seleka justified the coup by saying that Bozize had veered into dictatorship during his 10 years in power.

"Through us, it was the entire population of Central African Republic that rose up as a single man against the president," Djotodia said, according to Radio France Internationale.

Meanwhile, French forces protecting Bangui's main airport opened fire on three cars that were speeding toward a security checkpoint, said the French Defense Ministry.

The cars, carrying Indian and Chadian citizens, continued despite warning shots. Two Indian citizens were killed, and the wounded Indian and Chadian passengers were taken for medical care, the defense minister said in the statement Monday.

France is investigating the shooting, the statement said.

The rebels' advance started last week when they pushed past Damara, a town 75 kilometers (47 miles) to the northeast. Damara had marked the line of control drawn by regional forces in January, following an accord signed in Libreville, the capital of neighboring Gabon.

The rebels broke that accord last week, claiming that Bozize's government had failed to make good on a series of promises, including sending back the South African troops guarding the capital.

The South African troops came under an onslaught of fire from the Seleka rebels, who shot and killed 13 South African soldiers over the weekend, in their fight to take the capital.

Seleka is a loose coalition of fighters, many of whom fought in previous rebellions. They joined forces last fall, beginning their advance toward the capital in December.

The Seleka fighters benefited from the growing dissatisfaction with Bozize, who came to power in 2003, at the helm of a column of a different rebel group which also invaded the capital and toppled the former leader.

Bozize is accused of growing cronyism, and in the last election in 2011, around 20 of Bozize's family members and close associates including former mistresses, won posts in the government, according to Louisa Lombard, a postdoctoral fellow in geography at the University of California, Berkeley.

"There was the sense that governing was being carried out by a tighter and tighter circle of people around Bozize," says Lombard, who has been travelling to Central African Republic for the past 10 years for research.

"And although all sorts of technocratic procedures were in place to make the government more inclusive, it was in fact less and less inclusive. The more technocratic people got sidelined. Those who held positions of power did not have much education, much background in their chosen field. There was a disregard for any kind of merit in governing."

Lombard cautions, however, that the Seleka coalition is very loosely held together. Already on Monday, a different rebel leader, 26-year-old Nelson N'Djadder who is based in Paris, said that he does not recognize Djotodia as their new president.

"Seleka is a very heterogeneous group. That is something we noticed since the beginning, when it first emerged," said Lombard. "Holding it together will be a big problem."

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Callimachi reported from Dakar, Senegal. Lori Hinnant contributed to this report from Paris.

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Rukmini Callimachi can be reached at www.twitter.com/rcallimachi

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C. African Republic president overthrown by rebels

BANGUI, Central African Republic (AP) — Rebels overthrew Central African Republic's president of a decade on Sunday, seizing the presidential palace and declaring that the desperately poor country has "opened a new page in its history." The country's president fled the capital, while extra French troops moved to secure the airport, officials said.

The rebels' invasion of the capital came just two months after they had signed a peace agreement that would have let President Francois Bozize serve until 2016. That deal unraveled in recent days, prompting the insurgents' advance into Bangui and Bozize's departure to a still unpublicized location.

Witnesses and an adviser to Bozize said rebel trucks were traveling throughout the town on Sunday hours after the palace was seized. Former colonial power France confirmed the developments, issuing a statement that said French President Francois Hollande "has taken note of the departure of President Francois Bozize."

"Central African Republic has just opened a new page in its history," said a communique signed by Justin Kombo Moustapha, secretary-general of the alliance of rebel groups known as Seleka.

"The political committee of the Seleka coalition, made up of Central Africans of all kinds, calls on the population to remain calm and to prepare to welcome the revolutionary forces of Seleka," it said.

Central African Republic, a nation of 4.5 million, has long been wracked by rebellions and power grabs. Bozize himself took power in 2003 following a rebellion, and his tenure has been marked by conflict with myriad armed groups.

The rebels reached the outskirts of Bangui late Saturday. Heavy gunfire echoed through the city Sunday as the fighters made their way to the presidential palace, though the president was not there at the time.

"Bozize left the city this morning," said Maximin Olouamat, a Bozize adviser. He declined to say where the president had gone.

The last public news of Bozize's whereabouts came Friday, when state radio announced he had returned from a visit to South Africa.

Coverseas Worldwide Assistance, a Swiss-based crisis management firm that has contacts on the ground, said it believed Bozize was headed toward neighboring Congo. Bangui is located along the Oubangui River that separates the two countries.

Congolese government spokesman Lambert Mende, however, said he had no knowledge of Bozize crossing into Congo.

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in a statement Sunday that the United States was "deeply concerned about a serious deterioration in the security situation" in Central African Republic.

"We urgently call on the Seleka leadership which has taken control of Bangui to establish law and order in the city and to restore basic services of electricity and water," the statement said.

Rebels from several armed groups that have long opposed Bozize joined forces in December and began seizing towns across the sparsely populated north. They threatened at the time to march on Bangui, but ultimately halted their advance and agreed to engage in peace talks in Libreville, the capital of Gabon.

A deal was signed Jan. 11 that allowed Bozize to finish his term, which expires in 2016, but the rebels soon began accusing the president of failing to fulfill promises made.

They demanded Bozize send home South African forces who were helping bolster the country's military. They also sought to integrate some 2,000 rebel fighters into Central African Republic's armed forces.

Earlier this month, the rebels again took control of two towns and threatening to advance on the capital.

Late Saturday, Bangui was plunged into darkness after fighters cut power to much of the city. State radio went dead, and fearful residents cowered in their homes.

An unspecified number of French citizens have taken refuge in the French Embassy, a French diplomat said on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to be publicly named according to Foreign Ministry policy. The diplomat said extra French troops were brought in to secure the Bangui airport.

Hundreds of French soldiers already were in the country, some of whom were sent in to protect French interests in the former colony. Bozize had appealed to Hollande for help, but the French president said he would not be protecting the government. Other French soldiers have been providing technical support and helping to train the local army, according to the French defense ministry.

South African Brig. Gen. Xolani Mabanga, the country's military spokesman, said there had been "intense" fighting this weekend between rebels and South African forces. "Our base was attacked by the rebels as they were advancing toward the capital," he said.

"We have suffered some casualties," he said. He declined to provide the number of casualties, pending the outcome of an investigation.

The peace deal also had created a prime minister post, which was given to opposition leader Nicolas Tiangaye, who had been sheltering at a military base for forces from regional neighbors known as FOMAC.

The United States urged the rebels to "provide full support" to Tiangaye, citing the "continued legitimacy" of the peace deal signed in January.

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Krista Larson reported from Dakar, Senegal. Associated Press writers Christopher Torchia in Johannesburg and Angela Charlton in Paris contributed to this report.

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Rebels advance toward C. African Republic capital

BANGUI, Central African Republic (AP) — Rebels in Central African Republic are advancing on the capital, Bangui, after taking the town of Damara on Friday, a rebel spokesman said.

By seizing Damara the rebels crossed the boundary line drawn by regional forces in January, when the same rebel group threatened to take the capital if their demands were not met.

The rebels, known as Seleka, attacked the town of Bossangoa early Friday, before taking Damara later in the day, said Eric Massi, a Paris-based spokesman for the rebels.

He claimed that his fighters had already covertly infiltrated the capital, Bangui, and are waiting for their fellow fighters to join them.

Panic spread throughout the capital, with the neighborhoods closest to the northern gate of the city emptying out, as frightened residents locked up their shops, packed their bags and yanked their children out of school. Banks and government offices closed early.

National radio announced Friday afternoon that President Francois Bozize had returned from a meeting in South Africa.

The country's prime minister, meanwhile, had sought refuge at a military base for regional forces known as FOMAC, according to soldier Jean-Pierre Sadou.

"Bossangoa fell without a fight. And as you know, Bossangoa is the fief of President Francois Bozize. We took Bossangoa in the morning and by early afternoon, our elements were in Damara," Massi said by telephone.

"They are now marching on the capital," said Massi. "We are calling on the population and on the military to put down their arms. And we are calling on our soldiers to prove that they are disciplined, to refrain from pillaging, so that we can avoid unnecessary combat."

The United Nations Security Council scheduled emergency closed consultations on Friday to discuss the latest developments in Central African Republic.

International Criminal Court prosecutor Fatou Bensouda also expressed alarm about the situation.

"I am deeply concerned about reports of the worsening situation in the Central African Republic and allegations of the commission of serious crimes in the context of the on-going conflict," Bensouda said. "I remind all parties to the conflict in CAR that ICC has jurisdiction in CAR and my office will not hesitate to investigate and prosecute all those alleged to be committing these crimes."

In January, an international force made up of soldiers from the countries neighboring Central African Republic rushed to the front, creating a new line of control in Damara. The rebels stopped just before Damara, before entering into talks with the government, culminating in a Jan. 11 peace deal signed in Libreville, the capital of Gabon.

In Bossangoa, resident Marien Nambea confirmed the town had fallen to the rebels, and in Damara, Sadou from the regional force known as FOMAC said the rebels had pushed through their defenses. It was not immediately clear if the FOMAC soldiers had strategically retreated in order to better protect the capital, or if they had fled.

"Since the signing of the deal in Libreville, President Francois Bozize has spent his time trying to put the brakes on the application of the accord. The humanitarian situation has become significantly worse. It's starting to frustrate the people of the Central African Republic and it's why the soldiers of Seleka took this decision," Massi said.

Central African Republic, a nation of 4.5 million located at the heart of the African continent, remains one of the world's poorest nations, with most people dying before their 49th birthday, according to data from the World Bank. It has weathered repeated coups and rebel invasions, which have become part of the nation's political DNA.

In power since 2003, Bozize is himself the result of a rebel occupation. After years as a high-ranking military officer, Bozize launched a rebellion in 2001, taking Bangui two years later, when the then-president was out of the country.

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Callimachi contributed to this report from Dakar, Senegal. AP Writer Edith Lederer contributed from the United Nations.

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Rukmini Callimachi can be reached at www.twitter.com/rcallimachi

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C. African Republic rebels reject president offers

BANGUI, Central African Republic (AP) — Rebels in Central African Republic are vowing to take up arms again despite recent concessions made by the country's president in a bid to stay in power.

The rebels had set a Wednesday deadline for President Francois Bozize's government to address their grievances.

An alliance of rebel groups signed a peace agreement with the government in January after threatening to march on the capital of Bangui.

In a presidential decree read late Wednesday, Bozize agreed to lift a curfew and release political prisoners.

But rebel spokesman Col. Sylvain Oumar Bordas says the president's actions are too little too late. Bordas says the rebel leaders are now discussing their next steps.

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Rugby-Australia scrumhalf Phipps to leave Rebels for Waratahs

MELBOURNE, March 16 (Reuters) - Australia scrumhalf Nick Phipps is to leave the Melbourne Rebels Super Rugby franchise and return to Sydney to join the New South Wales Waratahs on a two-year contract next season, both sides said on Saturday.

The 24-year-old Phipps is originally from Sydney but moved south to the Rebels when they began playing in the Super Rugby competition in 2011.

"Nick has played a major part in laying the foundations of this club and it is disappointing to see him leave," Rebels coach Damien Hill said in a statement.

"We have identified and developed some great talent within Australian rugby, who are now coming off contract and the reality is, these players now attract interests from other clubs with different financial circumstances."

Phipps made his test debut against Samoa in 2011 and has since earned 12 caps, including starting in eight out of the Wallabies last nine matches when Will Genia was sidelined with a serious knee injury.

"Nick is a good threatening, attacking player," Waratahs coach Michael Cheika said.

"He's good all round, in attack, in defence and with his kicking game; he's a quality player and I think that he's still got a lot of potential to fulfil." (Reporting by Greg Stutchbury in Wellington; Editing by John O'Brien)

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Congo troops give key towns back to M23 rebels

GOMA, Congo (AP) — Congolese government troops gave control of two key eastern towns back to the M23 rebel group to avoid jeopardizing the ongoing peace process, a spokesman for the military said Sunday.

Kiwanja and Rutshuru had been M23 strongholds since the group had taken control of them in July 2012. But following a split within the rebellion last week, the armed group had left the towns to reinforce positions against the new splinter, and another rebel group moved in. The military then secured the towns on Friday.

"We couldn't leave the population alone, and we had to secure the area to make sure there were no crimes committed," said Col. Olivier Hamuli, the military spokesman. He said they've since given control back to M23.

"Our troops left Rutshuru and Kiwanja to avoid taking a step back regarding the evolution of the negotiations in Kampala," he said, adding that they are now only one kilometer (mile) from Kiwanja.

Government forces cannot take back M23 territory as negotiations as mediations are ongoing, according to an agreement reached in November at the International Conference for the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) in Uganda.

"The M23 signed an agreement with the ICGLR and the Congolese government after we took Goma in November. The government troops had to leave our territory because Rutshuru and Kiwanja are in our territory,"said Col. Vianney Kazarama, the spokesman for one of the M23 factions led by Gen. Sultani Makenga.

M23 is a rebellion allegedly backed by Rwanda and Uganda. In November, after eight months of sporadic fighting against the national army, the rebels took the strategic city of Goma, but withdrew two weeks later under international pressure.

Since then, negotiations between the M23 and the government have been held in Kampala, but no serious outcome has yet been announced.

The group split on Wednesday following a dispute over leadership. The president of the movement, Jean-Marie Runiga, was dismissed by Gen. Makenga, the military leader of the movement. Runiga left with the second strongman of the M23, Gen. Baudoin Ngaruye and Bosco Ntaganda, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court.

Both factions have been fighting each other since, creating a power vacuum in the M23 stronghold. Following the Congolese army handover of Rutshuru and Kiwanja to Makenga's faction, Runiga's faction issued a statement saying that the army should have given them the territory.

Runiga, in the statement, accused Makenga of being an ally of Congo's military.

The faction led by Ntaganda and Runiga, positioned on the road to Goma near Kibumba, had apparently attempted to take Goma on Sunday, but were pushed back by the U.N. peacekeeping forces, the U.N. mission in Congo said.

"We fired on Bosco Ntaganda's positions because they moved towards Goma. We told them to stop their movements but they resisted. We sent helicopters that fired on their positions. It was near Kibati," said Alexandre Essome, a spokesman for MONUSCO, the U.N. mission in Congo.

Runiga's faction could not be reached for comment on the attempt.

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Islamic rebels fire rockets at military in Mali

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Jihadist fighters fired two rockets at military points in Mali's northern city of Gao on Thursday after the military pushed fighters out of the city a day earlier and as a suicide bomber attacked secular rebels near Algeria's border, officials said.

Capt. Daouda Diarra said Thursday there was also shooting on the north side of the city.

He said the rockets were likely launched by the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa, or MUJAO.

"The jihadist have fired two rockets on us that we have recovered," Diarra said. "This is a small group and we will dislodge them and track the rest of the group who have fled 21 kilometers (13 miles) east of Gao on board seven vehicles."

Fighters with the al-Qaida-linked group had attacked a Gao checkpoint on Wednesday and fought with the military around the Town Hall in the city center on Thursday. Diarra said 16 jihadists were killed in the fighting and six soldiers were wounded.

Meanwhile, further north in Kidal, a suicide car bombing killed at least one secular Tuareg rebel, the mayor of Kidal said.

Abda Ag Kazina said that a suicide car bomber targeted a base for the secular National Movement for the Liberation of the Azawad, or NMLA, near the country's border with Algeria.

The Tuaregs and Islamic extremists made rapid advances on Mali's north in the aftermath of a March 2012 coup, seizing the main cities in the north. Poorly armed and demoralized Malian soldiers fled before their advance.

But the secular fighters fell out with the Islamist extremists. As the extremists have fled the French bombing campaign, it appears the NMLA fighters have moved back into some areas.

The jihadist group MUJAO claimed responsibility for another car explosion Thursday at a mechanics garage in Kidal about 800 meters (875 yards) from a French military base.

French and Chadian forces are patrolling the city of Kidal, though it remains unclear if the northern administrative capital is secure.

Radical Islamic fighters spent weeks on the run from Malian cities under a French ground and air assault that began Jan. 11 after the rebels had pushed to southern territories. The French, meanwhile, are tightening a dragnet against the al-Qaida-linked militants in one of their last remaining redoubts, mountain sanctuaries near Algeria's border.

France has said it will eventually pull out of its Mali operation so that African forces can help stabilize the West African country.

U.N. discussions about an African force for Mali have been under way for months, alongside efforts for a European Union training mission to help the Malian military.

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Mali rebels fighting in Gao; car explodes in Kidal

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Islamic extremists clashed with military in Mali's northern city of Gao, a military official said Thursday, as French forces continued their push to eliminate remnants of al-Qaida-linked fighters who had controlled northern Mali.

Malian military spokesman Capt. Daouda Diarra said that fighters with the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa, or MUJAO, attacked a Gao checkpoint late Wednesday and made their way into the city. The fighters were battling the army near the Town Hall in the city's center.

In Kidal, a town further north where control by French and Chad forces has been tentative, a car explosion in a mechanics garage killed two, including the driver and a security guard, a resident said.

Mossa Ansary said Thursday's explosion took place about 800 meters (875 yards) from a French military base. It was unclear if it was a suicide car bombing. French and Chadian forces are patrolling the city of Kidal, though it remains unclear if the northern administrative capital is secure.

Radical Islamic fighters spent weeks on the run from Malian cities under a French ground and air assault that began Jan. 11 after the rebels had pushed to southern territories. The French, meanwhile, are tightening a dragnet against the al-Qaida-linked militants in one of their last remaining redoubts, mountain sanctuaries near Algeria's border.

France's main military spokesman on Thursday said that a French Tigre attack helicopter fired on a pickup truck containing jihadist fighters during clashes in rugged northern Mali, killing about 10 insurgents.

Col. Thierry Burkhard said the firefight on Wednesday in the Adrar des Ifoghas mountain range, near the Algeria border, came in the third day of an operation code-named "Panther," as French forces track and try to eliminate the Islamic extremists.

Burkhard said the operation is ongoing in the area. More than 20 insurgents and one French legionnaire died in similar clashes on Tuesday.

France's government has said it still hopes to pull out of its Mali operation in the coming weeks — eager for African forces to help stabilize the impoverished West African country. But the French President said that France will "go all the way — that's to say, arresting the last terrorist chiefs in northern Mali."

Gao Mayor Sadou Diallo said about 1,000 French troops are in the Gao region, along with about 3,000 Malian and African soldiers.

U.N. discussions about an African force for Mali have been under way for months, alongside efforts for a European Union training mission to help the Malian military.

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Associated Press reporter Jamey Keaten in Paris contributed to this report.

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