Central African Republic rebels says to hold election in three years: French media

PARIS, March 25 (Xinhua) -- The Central African Republic (CAR) would hold elections in three year, a spokesman for the Seleka rebel coalition of CAR told channel FRANCE 24 Monday following the toppled CAR president fleeing to Cameroon.

The rebels who seized the capital of the CAR on Sunday said they were supervising a return to calm in Bangui as rampant lootings were reported by some residents in Bangui overnight where looters took advantage of the mess created by the fighting between rebels and government troops. Gunfire could still be heard on Monday morning there.

On Sunday, French President Francois Hollande appealed to all the parties in the CAR "for calm and for dialogue" in light of the Libreville accord. France also sent 350 French troops to Bangui to secure the safety of its citizens in its former colony.

Eric Massi, Europe spokesman for the Seleka rebels, confirmed the lootings, but said the calm was returning and that the shots being heard on Monday morning were "joyous celebration."

He told FRANCE 24 that legislative and parliamentary elections would be held in three years, with an aim to bring democracy back to the country.

Seleka rebels began seizing towns in last December but gave up their advance later and signed a truce with the government following negotiations in Libreville, the capital of Gabon. However, the deal, which allows President Francois Bozize to continue his ruling until 2016, quickly unraveled.

Massi repeated that the rebels remained committed to the agreement, and that opposition figure Nicolas Tiangaye, who was appointed prime minister of the national unity government, would remain in position until the end of the period of transition.

The African Union on Monday said it was suspending the CAR and imposing travel restrictions and an asset freeze on the leaders of Seleka, according to the French channel.

The CAR, a country of 5 million populations, has been haunted by instability and poverty since its independence from France in 1960. It is listed by the United Nations as one of the poorest countries in the world despite its rich resources.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Sunday condemned the rebels' seizure of state power in the CAR, calling for "the swift restoration of constitutional order."

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