PRETORIA, March 26 – Thirteen South African soldiers have been confirmed dead after clashes with the rebel alliance known as Seleka in the Central African Republic (CAR), President Jacob Zuma said Monday. The rebels reached the outskirts of the CAR capital, Bangui late Saturday and seized the presidential palace on Sunday — a move which forced CAR President Francois Bozize to flee the country.
“We are deeply saddened by the events and developments in that country (CAR) over the past 72 hours, which saw violence escalating and many innocent lives lost.
We have confirmed that 13 of our brave soldiers, who were committed to fighting for peace and stability in Africa, fell in Bangui,” President Zuma told a media briefing. President Zuma said one soldier was still unaccounted for and operations to locate the soldier were underway. Twenty seven more soldiers were wounded.
“We are truly proud of our soldiers. Just over 200 of them fought bandits numbering more than a 1,000 people. They fought a high tempo battle for nine hours, defending the South African military base until the bandits raised a white flag and asked for a ceasefire,” said the president.
“As a member of the African Union (AU), South Africa rejects any attempt to seize power by force, and would support sanctions and other measures against the perpetrators of any unconstitutional change of government.”
South Africa and the CAR signed a military co-operation agreement in 2007 and was renewed for a further five years in December 2012. Under the agreement, South Africa will provide the CAR army with an array of military training from infantry, artillery and Special Forces training to logistics and driving courses, and the refurbishment of military infrastructure in Bouar and Bangui.
BERNAMA
