Big News Network.com Friday 10th January, 2014
BANGUI, Central African Republic - Interim President of Central African Republic (CAR) Michel Djotodia has resigned along with his prime minister in the face of international pressure after failing to halt inter-religious violence in the country.
The resignations of Djotodia and Prime Minister Nicolas Tiangaye were announced on Friday in a statement issued at a two-day summit of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) in neighbouring Chad.
Talks to decide on new leadership will take place in CAR, it said.
As news broke of the resignation of Djotodia, a rebel who became the country's first Muslim leader, thousands of residents took to the streets, dancing, singing and honking horns in celebration.
Djotodia came to power in a March 24 coup last year that led within months to widespread and deadly sectarian unrest.
Leading a rebel coalition named Seleka into Bangui he seized the presidential palace from President Francois Bozize, who fled after 10 years in power, and proclaimed himself president.
Djotodia, 65, has appeared incapable amid a spree of attacks and counter-attacks by Christian and Muslim militias that has left thousands of people dead and forced a million from their homes. He became deeply unpopular, particularly among the nation's Christian majority.
Cheers erupted at a camp for 100,000 displaced Christian civilians at the city's French-controlled airport over the news of his quitting.
There were no signs of the pro-Djotodia fighters who once dominated Bangui, Reuters news agency reported.
Al Jazeera's Barnaby Phillips, reporting from Bangui on Friday, said the gunfire broke out shortly after the resignation announcement.
"It is not possible to work out who is firing at whom at this stage," he said.
"The international community is going to have to react very quickly as there is no one regionally who can unite CAR.
Despite the celebrations on Friday, there are fears that the resulting power vacuum will lead to greater instability if it is not filled quickly.
Jean-Yves Le Drian, the French defence minister, said he wished for the new leadership to be announced "as soon as possible", adding that "the aim is to move forward with elections before the end of the year".
"We need the National Transitional Council to find a provisional alternative," he said.
Ahmat Allami, Secretary-General of the 10-nation Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), said that members of the Central African Republic's National Transitional Council (CNT) had been flown in at short notice to the Chadian capital N'Djamena to decide the leadership of their nation.
"No-one can speak on behalf of the Central Africans. That's why we have asked the CNT and representatives of political parties to come to N'Djamena to decide on the future of the transitional institutions," Allami was quoted by Reuters as saying.
France has 1,600 troops in the country, operating under a UN mandate to assist an African force that is due to be bolstered to 6,000 men.
It strengthened its military presence on the streets on Friday.
European Union officials have also proposed this week sending a military force to support the French contingent.
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