Rebels kill 2 soldiers in Central African Republic

Fri Nov 27, 2009 10:39am EST

* Two soldiers, nine rebels killed in rebel attack

* Attack follows abduction of two French aid workers



By Paul-Marin Ngoupana

BANGUI, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Two soldiers and nine rebels were killed when several hundred rebels attacked an army position in the remote town of Ndele in northern Central African Republic, military officials said on Friday.

Two French aid workers were abducted on Sunday in the same restive region near the borders with Chad and Sudan, Sergeant Saint Clearly Kpademo told Reuters by telephone.

"This attack fits in with the sad abduction of the two French nationals," Kpademo said, adding there was evidence that militants who carried out the kidnapping were also involved in the fighting in Ndele.

A government official said the attack on Ndele on Thursday morning was planned by the rebel Patriotic Convention for Justice and Peace (CPJP) and carried out by some 400 fighters from the CPJP and other rebel factions.

The CPJP is headed by a former high-ranking military official, Charles Massi, who was dismissed in 2007.

During the attack, the rebels stole the vehicle of the regional army commmander and ransacked his house, Kpademo said.

The Central African Republic is one of Africa's poorest and most isolated countries, with a weak government struggling to end several years of internal rebellions.

The abducted French nationals, who worked for the aid group Triangle, were seized on Sunday evening in nearby Birao where the UN MINURCAT peacekeeping force is based.

Earlier this month, a Frenchman working for the International Committee of the Red Cross was kidnapped by armed men in Chad, leading the charity to suspend activities there.

In October, another French citizen working for the ICRC was kidnapped in Sudan's western Darfur region. Both aid workers are still being held captive, the ICRC said. ((Writing by Richard Valdmanis; editing by Tim Pearce; richard.valdmanis@thomsonreuters.com; Dakar newsroom +221 33 864 5076)) (For more Reuters Africa coverage and to have your say on the top issues, visit: af.reuters.com/)

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