Former Central African Republic President Francois Bozize returned to the nation this week after a six-year exile following his ouster in 2013.
“While his presence poses some questions that will be handled with respect by the government and the international community, Francois Bozize is a central African citizen and former president who deserves respect, owing to his rank,” Minister of Communications Ange Maxim Kazagui said in a statement on Thursday.
The former leader's son, Francis Bozize, declined to comment about speculation that his father was considering contesting presidential elections due next year. He was barred from running in 2015. The country is currently led by Faustin-Archange Touadera.
Conflict has been rife in a nation that the United Nations ranks as one of the world's poorest. Bozize seized power in 2003 and was ousted a decade later in a coup that saw armed groups seize control of large parts of the country and prompted a UN peacekeeping mission.
To contact the reporter on this story: Elie Smith in Johannesburg at esmith351@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Gordon Bell at gbell16@bloomberg.net, John Bowker
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