Central Africa strongman vows to hand over in three years

BANGUI: The Central African Republic's new strongman Michel Djotodia vowed Saturday not to contest 2016 polls and hand over power at the end of the three-year transition he declared after his coup a week ago.

"I ask God Almighty to give myself and my prime minister the strength and intelligence to manage the Central African Republic well over the coming three years. We will hand over power to whoever comes to succeed us," he told a rally of up to 3,000 supporters in the capital Bangui.