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Negotiations ongoing over release of kidnapped minister in CAR: official

Xinhua, January 26, 2015 Adjust font size:

The Central African Republic (CAR) transitional government announced on Monday negotiations with kidnappers are making progress to gain the release of the country's Youth and Sports Minister Armel Ningatoloum Sayo, who was kidnapped on Sunday by unidentified militants.

CAR Public Security Minister Nicaise Karnou told Xinhua by phone the kidnappers were suspected to be Christian militant group anti-balaka, who kidnapped several people including a French charity worker and a UN staff last week.

"We have localized the place and network of the kidnappers," the minister said. "We have the location of the hostage. He is in capital Bangui, in a place named Boy Rabe." Boy Rabe is controlled by anti-balaka militants.

Sayo was appointed as youth and sports minister in the government reshuffle on Jan. 16 this year. Sayo was kidnapped when he was driving on his way back from a church in Bangui. When the kidnapping happened, Sayo's wife and his younger brother were with him in the car.

The public security minister said Sayo was followed by a taxi with four people inside. The kidnappers stopped Sayo's car and took him out, but left his wife and younger brother unharmed.

"We know the kidnappers well. We will stop this kind of acts in respect of the law," Karnou said.

But at the same time, Karnou criticized the kidnapped minister for failing to respect the security alert issued by the government. The anti-balaka had threatened to kidnap members of the government earlier.

Karnou insisted no ransom will be paid to the kidnappers, and instead he want the kidnappers to be punished by law.

A civil war in CAR broke out in December 2012 between Seleka rebel coalition and government forces. Seleka took power from the then president Francois Bozize in March 2013 and Seleka's leader Michel Djotodia declared himself as president.

Elected provisional president by a National Transitional Council in April 2013, Djotodia was forced to quit power in January 2014 amid worsening violence between Christian anti-balaka group and Muslim Seleka. Catherine Samba-Panza was elected as provisional president by the National Transitional Council and is in power since then. Endi