Rebels Seize Capital in Central African Republic Coup

Bangui ---Heavy gunfight continues across many parts of the Central African Republic’s capital city after rebels overthrew President Francois Bozize following a storm on the presidential palace on Saturday.

Government officials have confirmed that the rebels were in control of the capital, seizing control of the national TV and radio stations. Gunfire could be heard randomly across many areas of Bangui on Sunday, as looting in the capital continued throughout the weekend.

President Bozize is also confirmed to have fled CAR and is believed to be in neighbouring DR Congo. He came to power in a coup in 2003, but won subsequent elections in 2005 and 2011.

"The rebels control the town," said Gaston Mackouzangba, a spokesman for the president. "I hope there will not be any reprisals."

The rebels had vowed to depose President Bozize if he did not step down after he broke several agreements under the 2007 peace deal. The rebels under the umbrella Seleka coalition resumed fighting last week leading to their capture of the presidential palace on Saturday.

The coup leads up an initial rebellion in December where the insurgents almost took over the capital after accusing Mr Bozize of failing to honour the peace deal that would give fighters cash and jobs in exchange of laying down their arms.

Various leaders have called on the coup leaders to exercise restraint to avoid bloodbath and give dialogue chance.

French President Francois Hollande has urged all parties to “remain calm and hold talks on a national unity government” calling on the armed groups to “respect the population”

France has pledged to send more troops to its former colony, to bolster its force of 250 already stationed in Bangui vowing to protect its citizens there.

A statement released Monday from the office of the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned the rebel seizure, calling for “the swift restoration of the constitutional order.”

The statement said that Mr Ban was “deeply concerned by reports of serious violations of human rights", underscoring that those "responsible for committing such violations will be held accountable".

The Prime Minister Nicolas Tiangaye, a former opposition figure who was appointed under a peace deal brokered between the government and the rebels in January has called on the rebels to accept talks to avoid further unrests.

One of the factions of the rebel coalition has expressed will for talks saying that the country was in transition towards a democratic election.

With the taking of Bangui and the departure of Bozize, the main objective of our struggle has been realised," said Nelson Ndjadder, a spokesman for one of the factions. "Central Africans must meet around a table to decide the path for their common future."

The mineral-rich CAR has seen a series of rebellions since its independence from France in 1960. The landlocked nation in the heart of Africa, with a 4.5 million population is considered among the poorest countries in the continent.

Abuja, Nigeria

Dozens Die in Deadly Attacks in Eastern Nigeria

At least 25 people have died in eastern Nigeria following deadly simultaneous attacks by gunmen on a prison, a police station, and a bank police have said.

The attacks on the remote Ganye town near Nigeria’s border with Cameroon happened on Friday, but the death toll was reported on Saturday.

The gunmen armed with bombs, machine-guns and rocket-propelled grenades, attacked the prison, setting free unspecified number of prisoners, and looted a bank, before attacking two open-air pubs.

"We have 25 dead from yesterday's[Friday] attacks in Ganye, which included a chief prison warder, a policeman and a prominent politician," Adamawa state police chief Mohammed Ibrahim was quoted by AFP news agency as saying.

Mr Ibrahim said seven of the casualties were shot dead in the bar and six near the bank, while others were gunned down either outside their homes or on the streets. It was not clear how much money had been looted from the bank.

No group has claimed responsibility of the attack but police point accusing finger to the Islamist militant group boko Haram which is characterised with similar attacks.

Elsewhere, two suspected suicide bombers died on Saturday in the northern city of Kano after their explosives went off prematurely, wounding three policemen in the blast.

The blast comes barely days after a series of blasts at a bus station in the same city of Kano killed over 20 people earlier in the week on Monday.

Last month Boko Haram group kidnapped a French family inside Cameroon territory along its border with Nigeria and have been holding them until several of their demands are met.

In a video-taped message released this week by the group showing head of the hostage family, the group threatened to carry out more attacks if their demands were not met and said they were holding the French family including four children in exchange.

Boko Haram which is loosely modelled on Afghanistan’s Taliban, has been fighting to create an Islamic state in Nigeria’s predominantly Muslim north. The group is believed to have presence also in Cameroon, Niger and Chad.

Over 1,400 people have died in Nigeria since 2010 in attacks related to the radical group that has rejected plans by government to hold talks.