Brussels - European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton on Monday dubbed a weekend coup in the Central African Republic "unacceptable" and urged all sides to end hostilities and begin talks.
"Violent or unconstitutional changes of government remain unacceptable," Ashton said after rebels marched on the capital, Bangui, ousting the regime of President Francois Bozize.
"I urge all parties to cease hostilities immediately, to show restraint and to contribute to the re-establishment of civil order, especially to prevent looting," she said in a statement.
The weekend onslaught on the capital Bangui by the Seleka rebel coalition led Bozize, who took power himself in a 2003 coup, to flee to Cameroon and claimed the lives of 13 South African soldiers.
South Africa had deployed 200 soldiers to the Central African Republic in January to support government troops. France sent 300
more soldiers to the country over the weekend to protect its citizens, boosting its total number of troops there to 550.
The country, which has a population of about 4.5 million, has been unstable since its independence from France in 1960, with a history of coups and mutinies. - Sapa-AFP
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