Uganda weighs troop commitment to CAR

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LIBREVILLE, Gabon, Jan. 10 (UPI) -- The Ugandan government said it may send troops to Central African Republic as peace talks resume between CAR officials and rebels in Gabon.

Members of the rebel Seleka alliance were moving closer to the CAR capital Bangui this week. A force of French and African personnel has deployed to the country to help ensure national security.

Seleka rebels accuse President Francois Bozize of reneging on a peace deal brokered in 2008 with rebel fighters. The former French colony since 1996 has witnessed a series of battles for political control. Bozize in 2003 helped topple the government of Ange-Felix Patasse, for whom he served as military chief.

Uganda's government said it may be the next country to send forces to CAR, reports Bloomberg News. Uganda has committed an unknown number of troops to fight the military Lord's Resistance Army in the country.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said some civilians in the north of the country who were displaced by recent fighting have returned home. Elsewhere, however, the situation remains difficult.

Arnaud de Baecque, deputy head of the ICRC delegation in CAR, said in a statement that "there's still an air of uncertainty across the country."