Diplomats leave Central African Republic

U.S. Embassy suspends operations in the capitalThere are indications that rebels may try to take BanguiFrance has troops there, but says its mission is to protect its citizensCentral African Republic leader seeks international help

(CNN) -- The U.S. Embassy in Bangui has shut down operations and its personnel have left the Central African Republic amid lingering unrest between the government and rebels.

The U.S. State Department said that its ambassador and diplomatic team left the capital, but that the United States is not cutting off diplomatic relations with the Central African Republic.

"This decision is solely due to concerns about the security of our personnel and has no relation to our continuing and long-standing diplomatic relations with the CAR," the State Department said in a statement Thursday.

Read more: Central African Republic president seeks help against rebels

var currExpandable="expand15";if(typeof CNN.expandableMap==='object'){CNN.expandableMap.push(currExpandable);}var mObj={};mObj.type='video';mObj.contentId='';mObj.source='bestoftv/2012/12/28/exp-margaret-vogt.cnni';mObj.videoSource='CNNI';mObj.videoSourceUrl='';mObj.lgImage="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/121228033118-exp-margaret-vogt-00023101-story-body.jpg";mObj.lgImageX=300;mObj.lgImageY=169;mObj.origImageX="214";mObj.origImageY="120";mObj.contentType='video';CNN.expElements.expand15Store=mObj;var currExpandable="expand25";if(typeof CNN.expandableMap==='object'){CNN.expandableMap.push(currExpandable);}var mObj={};mObj.type='video';mObj.contentId='';mObj.source='bestoftv/2012/12/17/exp-evgeny-lebedev-child-soldiers-central-african-republic.cnn';mObj.videoSource='CNN';mObj.videoSourceUrl='';mObj.lgImage="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/121217113627-exp-evgeny-lebedev-child-soldiers-central-african-republic-00002001-story-body.jpg";mObj.lgImageX=300;mObj.lgImageY=169;mObj.origImageX="214";mObj.origImageY="120";mObj.contentType='video';CNN.expElements.expand25Store=mObj;The United Nations had also begun to relocate personnel.

Bangui appeared calm Friday, a day after throngs of protesters took to the streets to demand foreign intervention amid indications that rebels might advance on the city.

National radio reported some protests, but an eyewitness said protesters appeared to have gone indoors.

Read more: Rebels advance in Central African Republic

"The situation here today is calm. There is no one on the streets," said Margaret Vogt, a special representative of the U.N. secretary-general. "Yesterday around this time, there were about thousand people marching and singing."

President Francois Bozize asked for help from other nations to stave off rebel advances that threaten his rule.

Bozize asked France and the United States on Thursday to help ensure "the rebels return home ... instead of destroying and killing Central Africans."

Read more: CNN Inside Africa

Attacks on several cities by the coalition of rebel groups known as Seleka undermine peace agreements in the Central African Republic. Rebels say they are fighting because the government has broken its promises.

The rebels were about 190 miles from Bangui. No new attacks had been reported since Wednesday, diplomatic adviser Honore Nzessiwe said Thursday.

The Central African Republic government is seeking negotiations with the rebels in Libreville, Gabon, he said. In the meantime, troops from the Central African Multinational Forces were expected to arrive to bolster security in the capital, he said.

The lull in rebel attacks may be evidence that they are respecting a promise to stop their advance, Vogt said.

Read more: Congo war crimes trial ends in acquittal

U.N. efforts have focused on calling for a disarmament process, but a lack of funding from the European Union meant that such a program could not be carried out in the country's northeast, where there is fighting, she said.

Bozize directed his call for help to France, saying "the French are our cousins. They should fix what is happening."

France has a permanent presence of 200 to 300 military personnel at Bangui's airport under the mandate of the Economic Community of Central African States.

Read more: French increase security in Central African Republic

But French President Francois Hollande said Thursday that the troops are not intended to "protect a regime" against the advance of the rebels, but instead French nationals and interests.

France will not "interfere in the internal affairs of a country, in this case, CAR," Hollande said, adding: "That time is over."

Asked about a possible intervention in favor of displaced people or refugees, the French president said that his country could not "intervene unless there is a U.N. mandate," and, he said, "this is not the case."

"But in general, we are always for civilians to be protected and preserved, and we will do our duty again," he said.

The Central African Republic came into being after the French colony known as Ubangi-Shari gained independence in 1960.

CNN's Bharati Naik, Stephanie Halasz and Saskya Vandoorne contributed to this report.

December 27, 2012 -- Updated 1734 GMT (0134 HKT) Opinion: While the U.S. focuses on withdrawal, much remains at stake for Afghan women. December 28, 2012 -- Updated 1022 GMT (1822 HKT) Seema Sirohi from the Indian Council on Global Relations says most women in India have experienced some form of abuse.December 28, 2012 -- Updated 1351 GMT (2151 HKT) Since leaving government almost a decade ago, my analysis of matters Middle Eastern has been, well, annoyingly negative.December 28, 2012 -- Updated 0041 GMT (0841 HKT) As the final days of 2012 trickle away, an uncommon emotional intensity hangs in the air in America. Something is happening here. December 27, 2012 -- Updated 1702 GMT (0102 HKT) An influx of big screen heroines appears to have been a leap toward equality this year.December 28, 2012 -- Updated 1017 GMT (1817 HKT) The country's civil war has been grinding on for 21 months. Jim Clancy looks at where things stand.December 28, 2012 -- Updated 0719 GMT (1519 HKT) Spaniards and immigrants seek relief in austerity-driven Spain. Al Goodman catches up with three people in the crisis.December 28, 2012 -- Updated 0236 GMT (1036 HKT) Her mother was assassinated, her father, jailed by the military, died in prison. Today, Hafsat Abiola is a prominent civil rights activist in Nigeria.December 27, 2012 -- Updated 1450 GMT (2250 HKT) A huge aquarium containing several lemon sharks and other animals exploded at a mall in Shanghai, China.December 27, 2012 -- Updated 0237 GMT (1037 HKT) After the Newtown massacre, other American communities were grappling with their own menace of violence.December 28, 2012 -- Updated 1012 GMT (1812 HKT) Several countries may not be able to enter the Eurovision song contest next year because of the economic crisis.December 28, 2012 -- Updated 0206 GMT (1006 HKT) He can legitimately claim to be the fastest man on ice, and Kevin Kuske could even give Usain Bolt a run for his money in a foot race over 30 meters. The Pakistani teen blogger simply wanted an education. But she became a symbol of defiance against militants, empowering young women.December 28, 2012 -- Updated 1045 GMT (1845 HKT) In the tech world, 2012 was the year of the reboot. Companies such as Microsoft tried to restart their brands with bold new products.December 19, 2012 -- Updated 1549 GMT (2349 HKT) With a death-defying leap, a hot novel and the U.S. election -- 2012 has been an incredible year. Watch the highlights in CNN's video mash-up.Today's five most popular stories

View the original article here