France’s military will not defend Central African Republic’s government against advancing rebels, French President François Hollande said on Thursday, as regional African leaders tried to broker a ceasefire deal, reports The Financial Times.
Insurgents on motorbikes and pick-ups have driven to within 75km (45 miles) of the capital Bangui in recent weeks, threatening to end President François Bozize’s nearly 10 years as leader of the turbulent, resource-rich country.
“If we have a presence, it’s not to protect a regime, it’s to protect our nationals and our interests and in no way to intervene in the internal business of a country, in this case the Central African Republic,” Mr Hollande said.
“Those days are over,” he added.
Read more of this report from Reuters published in The Financial Times.