A Chadian soldier fighting in support of Central African Republic president Francois Bozize, sits on a truck in a convoy of other Chadian soldiers near Damara, about 70km (44 miles) north of the capital Bangui, Central African Republic Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013. After troops under Bozize seized the capital in 2003 amid volleys of machine-gun and mortar fire, he dissolved the constitution and parliament, and now a decade later it is Bozize himself who could be ousted from power with rebels having seized more than half the country and made their way to the doorstep of the capital in less than a month. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
A Chadian soldier fighting in support of Central African Republic president Francois Bozize, sits on a truck in a convoy of other Chadian soldiers near Damara, about 70km (44 miles) north of the capital Bangui, Central African Republic Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013. After troops under Bozize seized the capital in 2003 amid volleys of machine-gun and mortar fire, he dissolved the constitution and parliament, and now a decade later it is Bozize himself who could be ousted from power with rebels having seized more than half the country and made their way to the doorstep of the capital in less than a month. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
Chadian soldiers who are fighting in support of Central African Republic president Francois Bozize, sit in a truck full of rocket-propelled grenades on the road leading to Damara, about 70km (44 miles) north of the capital Bangui, Central African Republic Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013. More than 30 truckloads of troops from Chad line the two-lane highway just outside of Damara, supporting government forces who want to block a new rebel coalition from reaching the capital, and Gen. Jean Felix Akaga, who heads a 10-nation regional force, says the town is a "red line that the rebels cannot cross" or his forces will attack. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
A car heavily weighed down with food, passengers and belongings becomes grounded at the back while driving away from Damara where pro-government forces are digging in against the rebel advance, about 70km (44 miles) north of the capital Bangui, Central African Republic Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013. More than 30 truckloads of troops from Chad line the two-lane highway just outside of Damara, supporting government forces who want to block a new rebel coalition from reaching the capital, and Gen. Jean Felix Akaga, who heads a 10-nation regional force, says the town is a "red line that the rebels cannot cross" or his forces will attack. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
BANGUI, Central African Republic (AP) ? The president of Central African Republic has dismissed his son as acting defense minister along with his army chief of staff as his government attempts to quell a rebellion in the north with the help of soldiers from neighboring countries.
President Francois Bozize said in a decree read on state radio late Wednesday that he now assumes control of the defense ministry in place of his son, Francis Bozize.
Hundreds of troops from neighboring countries including Chad, Republic of Congo, Gabon and Cameroon have been in arriving in this desperately poor, landlocked country where rebels have seized 10 towns in a month's time. The rebels have held their position at the key transportation hub of Sibut since Dec. 29 and have made no further advance toward the capital, Bangui.
Government and regional forces are fortifying the town of Damara where truckloads of Chadian troops patrol the streets toting rocket-propelled grenades and other weapons. Damara is about 70 miles (112 kilometers) south of Sibut.
Gen. Jean Felix Akaga, who heads the regional force known as FOMAC, says a push on Damara, 45 miles (75 kilometers) north of the capital, would be "a declaration of war" on the 10 Central African states.
"For us, Damara is the red line that the rebels cannot cross," Akaga said Wednesday. "If they attack Damara, we will attack."
The United Nations called for talks between the government and rebels and the Security Council scheduled closed consultations on the Central African Republic on Thursday afternoon.
The rebels have indicated they will participate in talks but are also insisting that Bozize go. The president says he will not leave before finishing his term in 2016.
Bozize himself took power in 2003 following a rebellion with the help of Chadian forces. He later went on to win elections in 2005 and 2011, though the opposition and international observers have called the votes deeply flawed.
The rebels behind the latest challenge to Bozize's rule are made up of four separate groups all known by their French acronyms ? UFDR, CPJP, FDPC and CPSK. They are collectively known as Seleka, which means alliance in the local Sango language.
While presenting a unifed front, the alliance is comprised of groups that have previously fought one another. In September 2011, fighting between the CPJP and the UFDR left at least 50 people dead in the town of Bria and more than 700 homes destroyed.
The rebels also include some of Bozize's former fighters who helped bring him to power but later accused him of failing to properly pay them, among other grievances, Human Rights Watch says.
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