Central African Republic rebel hunt

BANGUI, Central African Republic -- Soldiers loyal to Central African Republic President Ange-Felix Patasse are hunting down rebel troops blamed for a bloody attempted coup.

At least 12 people died when the rebels, armed with automatic weapons and mortars, attacked Patasse's villa early on Monday in what military authorities called an unsuccessful coup attempt.

On Tuesday, the capital Bangui remained tense, with presidential guards patrolling the city in search of rebel soldiers and residents fleeing the southern end of the city.

A dawn-to-dusk curfew was in place, state radio remained off the air and schools, shops and markets were shut for a second day.

Presidential spokesman Prosper Ndoube said security forces, national army troops and presidential guards controlled most of the capital but they were trying to dislodge rebels hiding in the central Kassai barracks.

Presidential guards shot and killed three people suspected of being rebel soldiers, the Associated Press reported witnesses saying.

Families clutching household goods crossed armed checkpoints set up across Bangui and headed for the north end of the capital or toward villages on the city's outskirts.

For years, Bangui has effectively been divided in two -- with the north end loyal to the president and the south an opposition stronghold.

Patasse apparently remained inside his villa throughout the latest coup attempt and authorities said he was not harmed.

There have been three major rebellions against Patasse since 1996 with low or delayed pay a major complaint of the soldiers involved.

The motives behind the latest incident are not known.

Patasse first won election in 1993, ending more than a decade of army rule. In 1999 he won re-election amid opposition claims of vote fraud.