16 dead in fighting in Central African Republic capital

“Everything is calm. Everything is fine,” Djotodia told BFM in a phone interview.

The former rebel coalition known as Seleka, which now claims control of the government, is an unlikely group of allies who united a year ago with the goal of forcing President Francois Bozize from the presidency after a decade in power.

After thousands of rebels besieged Bangui in March, Bozize fled and the insurgents installed their leader Djotodia as president.

A pickup truck bristling with Seleka soldiers raced through the capital Thursday, while other members carried out house to house searches in opposition neighborhoods.

Djotodia has increasingly sought to distance himself from his former allies as the Seleka rebels have been blamed for scores of atrocities in Bangui, killing and raping civilians and stealing from aid groups and orphanages.

He has even less control over the ex-Seleka in the distant provinces where anger over human rights abuses fueled the formation of the Christian anti-balaka movement several months ago.