CAR officials issue statement claiming president is not seriously ill

Authorities in the Central African Republic on Monday issued a statement saying President Faustin- Archange Touadéra was not seriously ill.

Specialist website, Africa Intelligence, has reported that he has been in Belgium since Saturday for emergency medical treatment.

It said Touadéra was in a stable condition in hospital in Brussels after having been evacuated from Bangui on a private medical jet.

Opposition politician Martin Ziguélé says the head of state’s health is a matter of national interest and has called for transparency.

Officials, however, reassured the public that there was no cause for alarm and claimed that Touadéra simply took advantage of a scheduled trip to carry out a medical check-up.

They said the aim of his visit to Brussels was to urge the European Union to support the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI).

Touadéra was due to attend the US-Africa business summit in Angola on Monday.

The resulting power vacuum in the country comes just a few months before the presidential election.

Hundreds of protesters took to the streets of Bangui in April to oppose Touadéra’s plan to run for an unconstitutional third term in office.