Rebels who ousted the Central African Republic's president last year are evacuating their main camp in the capital.
Witnesses say hundreds of Seleka fighters, who are mostly Muslim, left Camp Deroux in Bangui Monday, moving by convoy to another base north of the city.
While the movement of rebel fighters suggests a decrease in their influence, tensions in Bangui remain high.
Many Muslim civilians also are fleeing Bangui, fearing they will be the target of reprisal attacks after weeks of violence between Muslim Seleka fighters and Christian militias known as anti-balaka.
Sources in Bangui told VOA's French to Africa Service that at least seven people died in violence in Bangui's mostly Muslim neighborhood of Miskine.
The sources also said the country's new prime minister on Monday formed a government of 20 members, including seven women.
In another development Monday, the World Food Program said 300 tons of emergency food aid have arrived in Bangui after being held up for weeks in Cameroon. The agency said the food is just a fraction of what is needed to feed the hundreds of thousands displaced in the capital.
On Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry threatened U.S. sanctions against those in the Central African Republic who keep destabilizing the country. Kerry called on all C.A.R. leaders, past and present, to be clear in condemning the violence and to stop it from gaining momentum.
Witnesses say hundreds of Seleka fighters, who are mostly Muslim, left Camp Deroux in Bangui Monday, moving by convoy to another base north of the city.
While the movement of rebel fighters suggests a decrease in their influence, tensions in Bangui remain high.
Many Muslim civilians also are fleeing Bangui, fearing they will be the target of reprisal attacks after weeks of violence between Muslim Seleka fighters and Christian militias known as anti-balaka.
Sources in Bangui told VOA's French to Africa Service that at least seven people died in violence in Bangui's mostly Muslim neighborhood of Miskine.
The sources also said the country's new prime minister on Monday formed a government of 20 members, including seven women.
In another development Monday, the World Food Program said 300 tons of emergency food aid have arrived in Bangui after being held up for weeks in Cameroon. The agency said the food is just a fraction of what is needed to feed the hundreds of thousands displaced in the capital.
On Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry threatened U.S. sanctions against those in the Central African Republic who keep destabilizing the country. Kerry called on all C.A.R. leaders, past and present, to be clear in condemning the violence and to stop it from gaining momentum.
