A Red Cross plane takes off next to a makeshift camp housing an estimated 100,000 displaced people, at Mpoko Airport, in Bangui, Central African Republic, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2014. Embattled President Michel Djotodia who has come under growing pressure to resign, was in neighboring Chad on Thursday for a summit with regional leaders who want to end the bloodshed that has left more than 1,000 dead and nearly a million people displaced.(AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
January 10, 2014 - 3:45 AM
N'DJAMENA, Chad - A top regional official has announced that the president and prime minister of Central African Republic are stepping down from power.
The announcement was made Friday by Ahmat Allami, the secretary-general of the regional bloc of Central African states.
Rebel leader Michel Djotodia seized power in a March 2013 coup when thousands of his fighters stormed the capital. He was later installed as president while longtime opposition leader Nicolas Tiangaye became prime minister.
However, the country has tilted toward anarchy in the months that have followed and the violence has turned Muslim and Christian communities against each other.
A Christian militia attempted a coup in early December, unleashing days of bloodshed on the streets of the capital that left more than 1,000 people dead.
News from © The Associated Press, 2014