The Central African Republic is rich with deposits of diamonds, gold and uranium, and its tropical climate is perfect for export products such as millet, manioc, coffee and tobacco. Things could be very good for the country situated at the heart of the continent. But it has experienced one political crisis after another since independence from France in 1960. The list of upheavals - military revolts, coup attempts and rebel power grabs - is longer than the list of elections held.
And it happened again at the weekend - a president was ousted and a rebel leader declared himself the successor. President Francois Bozize reportedly fled by helicopter to neighbouring Cameroon. Relatives and confidants of the 66-year-old apparently sought refuge in Congo. The rebel alliance Seleka's march into the capital must have seemed like deja vu for Bozize. Exactly 10 years earlier he had used a foreign tour by then head of state Ange-Felix Patasse to take control of Bangui and a short time later suspended the constitution.
The new man in power is Michel Djotodia. The 63-year-old has declared himself the new transitional president and announced intentions to hold free and democratic elections within three years. Djotodia said in an interview with the French radio station RFI that the rebel take-over was "a very victory for the entire Central African Republic population."
"Without peace, nothing can get done," said Djotodia, who added that he wants to revitalise the economy in his homeland. Shops and houses have been looted in the upheaval and private property stolen without penalty - as has been the case with every upheaval in the country. "Bangui is under our control and calm," a rebel spokesman told Al-Jazeera television.
"But we have things to do on the ground in terms of security. Looting must be stopped." The life expectancy in the Central African Republic is just over 40 years. Sixty per cent of the population is illiterate and the HIV rate is extremely high. There is hardly any infrastructure, with the water and electricity supply considered extremely precarious. The country is surrounded by Sudan, Chad and Congo, all of which are dealing with their own conflicts.
The Seleka rebel alliance actually reminds some of the M23 movement in the eastern parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo, which also is rich in raw materials. Both militia initially declared peace with their governments and agreed to an integration of combatants into the respective armies. Both, however, felt betrayed a short time later and declared that the ruler had not kept up their part the agreements. Then they went on the offensive - M23 a few months ago into the eastern Congolese provincial capital Goma and Seleka into Bangui.
But here is where the similarities end. The rebels in Congo quarrelled last month and split up. The offset M23 founder Bosco Ntaganda surrendered himself willingly to the International Court of Justice in The Hague. Djotodia meanwhile led his armed rebels to victory. "The Central African Republic has started a new chapter in its history," cheered the general secretary of the militia.
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