Defence Minister Jean-Francis Bozize said in a statement that the rebels from Abdoulaye Miskine's People's Democratic Front (FDPC) "caused panic among the people, looting and sacking not just administrative buildings but those of relief NGOs in the region."

The rebels were carefully dressed in military uniforms and many soldiers in the regular army, or FACA, fled, along with gendarmerie forces at Batafango, which enabled the rebels to loot weapons and ammunition, an army source told AFP.

"The defence ministry reassures the public that all measures will be taken to prevent a destabilisation of the country wherever it comes from," Bozize said in his statement, which was broadcast.

No casualty figures were released from the surprise attack on Saturday, but the military source said the rebels had roared into the town firing many shots into the air.

The FDPC signed a partial peace deal in February 2007, but not an overall peace package last year, though it sent observers to those talks in Gabon's capital Libreville.

One of the world's poorest countries, the Central African Republic has been racked for years by insecurity, with rebel groups, bandits and government troops blamed for widespread criminal activity.

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