US troops sent to aid CAR evacuation

The US has sent 50 troops to Chad to help evacuate US citizens and embassy staff in neighbouring Central African Republic where rebels have seized several cities and are advancing on the capital Bangui. Barack Obama, the US president, informed congressional leaders of Thursday’s deployment in a letter on Saturday citing a “deteriorating security situation” in the deeply impoverished nation. The US has special forces in the country who are assisting in the hunt for Joseph Kony, a Ugandan fugitive rebel leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army based in northern Uganda. The planned evacuation of the US diplomats follows criticism of Washington’s handling of diplomatic security before and during the attack on its consulate in Benghazi, Libya, on September 11. The ambassador and three other Americans were killed in that attack. The US deployment comes amid reports that a rebel coalition known as Seleka seized another town in their advance on the capital, forcing an army retreat and putting the rebels just one town away from Bangui. Sibut, a key transport hub, fell on Saturday without a shot being fired because the government army and forces from Chad had pulled back to Damara, 75km from Bangui on Friday, said Josie Binoua, minister of territorial administration. The report could not be independently verified as telephone lines to Sibut have been cut, making it difficult to check the situation with local residents. Talks between the rebels and the government led by President Francois Bozize are planned to start next week in Gabon.