CAR: Rebel Leader Sworn in as President

By NewsfromAfrica

Former rebel leader of the Central African Republic, Michel Djotodia, has been sworn in as president on Sunday 18 August, five months after seizing power in the violence-wracked country.

Djotodia took power in March after a coup led by his Seleka rebel coalition that ousted longtime ruler Francois Bozize. He will now begin an 18-month countdown to elections in a country that aid organizations say is on the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe.

He swore the oath of office on the Transition Charter in an inauguration that took place in the capital, Bangui, on Sunday.

Djotodia vowed "to preserve the peace, to consolidate national unity (and) to ensure the well-being of the Central African people" before members of the Constitutional Court.

A group of Bozize supporters calling themselves the Front for the Return of Constitutional Order in Central Africa dismissed the inauguration as a masquerade.

"This swearing-in is illegitimate because Mr Djotodia owes his position only to the force of Kalashnikovs and foreign mercenaries," it said in a statement.

Seleka fighters have been blamed for the persistent violence. Human Rights Watch said in a statement Friday that it was imperative that Djotodia "act fast to control his men," noting that the organization "continues to receive credible reports of killings in the provinces."

Human Rights Watch also said the current time frame for elections was unrealistic.

"The administrative state has been gutted and many official documents have been destroyed," it said. "It is impossible to imagine credible elections taking place in just over a year."

Many of the country's 4.6 million citizens have endured months of unrest, with widespread reports of violent attacks by Seleka members against civilians, including claims of sexual assault and murder. The political instability has also kept the government from helping strengthen its economy and moving toward battling poverty.

Earlier this week, United Nations aid chief Valerie Amos warned the Security Council of the crisis in CAR. The Security Council agreed to aid African Union peacekeeping forces, which are set to triple to more than 3,000 troops. However, Amos stressed that the Security Council must seek other measures to ensure the state does not falter irreversibly.