Central African Republic declares curfew

Announcement made on state television
as country descends into violence
prompting warnings of genocide .
The Central African Republic has
announced a countrywide curfew from
10pm to 5 am in a presidential decree read
on state radio.
The announcement came late on Friday as
the troubled nation spiralled into conflict ,
pitting the Muslim rebels who seized
power in a coup earlier this year against
the nation 's mostly Christian population .
Earlier this week , French Foreign
Minister Laurent Fabius warned in an
interview that the nation is on the verge
of genocide.
The country 's Christian president, Francois
Bozize, fled the capital in March as the
Seleka rebels overran the city.
Rebel leader Michel Djotodia proclaimed
himself president , but since taking power
he has been unable to control the rebels ,
who have run amok over the chronically
poor nation . The fighters are accused of
gruesome massacres .
One of the world 's poorest countries with
a long history of chaos and coups , the
Central African Republic has been in
turmoil since a coalition of rebel groups
joined forces and overthrew the president
in March and put their leader in charge.
'Looting , killings, rapes '
Since taking power , the Seleka rebels and
their allies from neighboring Chad and
Sudan have plunged the country into a
state of near -anarchy .
They have been accused by human rights
groups of committing scores of atrocities ,
of widespread looting, killings , rapes and
conscription of child soldiers .
UN Secretary- General Ban Ki - moon has
called on the UN Security Council to
authorise international support to an
existing African Union- led peace operation
in the country and to permit emergency
intervention from UN forces if needed .
So far , the African Union force has about
2, 590 personnel on the ground , the
majority in the capital, Bangui .