Central African Republic Rebels Vow to Share Power

The rebels who yesterday took over the Central African Republic say they're going to share power with the government they ostensibly ousted. In a statement today, the rebel Seleka coalition said it would "respect the Libreville accord," a agreement negotiated in January that would set up a joint government for two to three years prior to elections. "The current prime minister remains in place, and the Cabinet will be slightly reshuffled," a spokesman said, according to Reuters.

The African Union today suspended the Central African Republic and imposed sanctions and travel restrictions on it, according to the AFP. Ousted president Francois Bozize has fled to neighboring Cameroon, but will ultimately seek refuge elsewhere, a presidential official announced today. If this whole story has you asking questions like, "What is this conflict about?" or "What do the rebels want?" or "What's the Central African Republic?", CNN has a useful recap. (More Central African Republic stories.)