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Covenanters Safe as CAR Violence Erupts

BANGUI, Central African Republic (March 17) - A seven-member group representing the Evangelical Covenant Church arrived safely in Paris and is making alternate plans to visit regions in Congo, following a weekend coup by rebel forces loyal to former army chief Francois Bozize. Members of the group include Bob Thornbloom, Roger and Eileen Thorpe, Jody LeVahn, Gordon Carlson and Tom Christy and his daughter, Cory. Their objective is to assess overall living conditions, in particular the condition of Covenant medical facilities and health care in areas ravaged by war over the years, as well as continue repairs to the hydroelectric dam and follow up on other development projects. The group was awaiting a Saturday night flight to Bangui, which was cancelled when the violence erupted.

Rebels said on Sunday they had taken control of the Central African Republic's capital, as the president took refuge in a neighboring country, CNN News reported. A statement read on state radio Sunday morning reportedly was signed by Bozize, who has led a series of coup attempts in this impoverished nation over the past two years. "We control the city," the statement reads, referring to the capital Bangui. Rebels claim Bozize is in Bangui.

As occasional shots rang out across Bangui on Sunday, people looted homes belonging to Patasse's officials and relatives, carrying away furniture, televisions and cookers, CNN reports. President Ange-Felix Patasse was in neighboring Cameroon attending a regional summit in Niger. Patasse had been flying home from Niger when the attack forced his plane to change course to Cameroon. He arrived with his wife and entourage at a hotel in the capital Yaounde late on Saturday.

A rebel spokesperson urged people to stop looting and also called on all military personnel, including soldiers, paramilitary police and customs officers, to return to barracks in the city. Central African Republic's history since independence from French colonial rule has been marked by dictatorship, revolts and coup attempts. In February, Congolese rebels loyal to Jean-Pierre Bemba drove Bozize's forces north towards the border with Chad, but large areas of the landlocked, diamond-rich Central African Republic are back in the hands of fighters loyal to Bozize, CNN reports.

"Tens of thousands of civilians have fled the fighting and sought refuge in southern Chad, worrying humanitarian agencies, which fear people will go hungry if the conflict persists," CNN reports. "Central African Republic is dirt poor. The former French colony has 3.5 million people, earning an average of $290 a year. Its main exports are diamonds, timber, coffee and cotton."

The United Nations refugee agency reported Friday that 4,000 refugees spilled over the border into Chad last week, taking to 30,000 the total number of civilians from both countries to flee since mid-February.