BANGUI, Central African Republic (AP) A presidential decree announced on Central African Republic's state radio that the Seleka rebel group has been officially dissolved.
The Seleka coalition swept into the capital in March, toppling the nation's ex-president, and installing Michel Djotodia as the new leader. Since then the rebels have been accused of turning into a band of marauding thugs, looting and killing civilians. Djotodia has tried to distance himself from them.
The decree from Djotodia's office on Friday said that Seleka "is dissolved over the length and breadth of the Central African Republic's territory. ... Any individual or group of individuals who act in the name of Seleka ... after the publication of the present decree ... will expose themselves to the full sanctions available under law."