Central African rebels capture more towns ahead of talks

Central African Republic rebels captured two more towns overnight, just days before talks were due to open on the crisis in the impoverished country, an official said Saturday.“The rebels took two towns near Bambari,” a town already under the control of the Seleka rebel coalition, Territorial Administration Minister Josue Binoua said.“This shows their intent to wage war even during negotiations,” he said.There was no immediate reaction from the rebels themselves to the claim.The comments came just days before the central African regional bloc CEEAC hopes to start hosting talks between the rebels and President Francois Bozize in an effort to solve the nearly month-long crisis in the mineral-rich but impoverished and unstable country.South AfricansThe rebels threw those plans into doubt on Friday when they contradicted claims by CEEAC officials that they had agreed to the talks due to begin in Gabon’s capital Libreville on Tuesday, saying they had not been informed of the initiative by the Economic Community of Central African States.On Saturday, Binoua said the talks, which have the support of the UN Security Council and the United States, would proceed as planned.In related development, at least 200 South African soldiers have arrived in Bangui, capital of the Central African Republic, to try secure it from advancing rebels, a military source said Sunday.“This well-equipped South African contingent arrived in the middle of the week... its mission is to secure the Central African capital,” the source said.The troops, based not far from the neighbourhood housing the residence of President Francois Bozize, “joins in Central Africa a South African military contingent already deployed as part of military cooperation”, the source added.Agencies