Central African rebels, soldiers clash

Bangui – French troops and UN arrested a rebel march toward the capital of the Central African Republic this week, clashes with fighters most Muslims, about 180km northeast of Bangui, a spokesman for the government said .
Said Dominique Paguindji and residents said the troops fought rebels Seleka Saturday in the town of Sibut, after an ultimatum that they stop their southern expired in March.
It was not immediately clear if there were any dead or wounded in the clashes.
The former French colony has been torn apart by bloodshed since 2013 and the interim authorities struggle to disarm militias before the elections scheduled for October 18.
Fighters briefly seized Seleka power in the country with a Christian majority of 4.5 million in 2013 and later handed over power to an interim government. However, they still control large parts of northern CAR.
The international community is pushing for the Central African Republic to go ahead with an election to restore democratic governance at the end of this year, despite the widespread anarchy.