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The Central African Republic is threatening to become the locus of another another pan-African war. More than a half-dozen countries now have troops fighting in the CAR, and more are likely to get involved.
The conflict has all the hallmarks of what likely will be a protracted territorial conflict, similar to the three-year war in neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). There are minerals to be had, such as diamonds and gold. Beyond the economic gains is the potentially more important fact that the CAR is becoming another battleground for outside powers.
For regional players, the value of the Central African Republic lies in its strategic location. It borders five states -- Chad, Cameroon, Congo, DRC and Sudan -- and long has served as a transit point for smugglers and illicit arms shipments. As in the the DRC, a full-scale war in CAR eventually could cause the country to fracture.
The current fighting in Bangui started in October, when ousted army chief Gen. Francois Bozize fled to Chad after loyalist troops, seeking to prevent a coup attempt, tried to arrest him.
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