‘They’re still killing and the French are not there’

His lads are no longer armed on the streets and uniformed, though

A man approaches from distance, his friend riding pillion on the motorbike. A hand up from the French paratroopers in front of armoured personnel carriers – and they stop.

A quick body-search and suddenly it’s tense: “Par terre! Par terre!”

The soldiers shout for the man to throw his gun and cartridge belt on the ground as four automatic rifles are pointed at him and his friend.

They’re taken to a wall, made to stand, hands on heads. Then in a few moments let go again.

Small fry, small arms, not of much interest to the French.

They’re after the main men of the militias. People like Noureddine Adam, a Seleka general and public security minister in the transitional government who oversaw the total breakdown in security for the public.

He’s under arrest. Our “friend” the chirpy interior minister is no longer answering his phone. Journalists were summoned a few days ago to what was said to be a large cache of brand new Chinese-made Kalashnikovs found at the minister’s house.

Presumed still alive, he’s said to be “in the bush”.

Of course Seleka leaders are around still. One – pistol not very concealed – is living it large around our hotel buffet most days.

His lads are no longer armed on the streets and uniformed though. The guns cached, it’s into some civvies and they’re driving happily through the French road blocks.

Which is perhaps why the people seem unconvinced it’s peace and love here quite yet. We found 17,000 wet, frightened, unconvinced Christians at a monastery up the road.

Brother Yeelem said: “There’s a psychosis set in here. Only yesterday there was shooting in this district and even more came here. So it’s not in anyone’s interest to go home yet.”

Another man this morning said the same: “The French aren’t in the hotspots. Even now they’re still killing people and the French are not there. They can do what they want.”

He should know. He’s pushing a wheelbarrow. In it, the bodies of his two brothers, beaten to death by the Seleka, he says.

Read Alex Thomson’s blogs from the Central African Republic.

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