Sia Kambou / AFP - Getty Images

People leave Damara, the last strategic town between the rebels from the Seleka coalition and the Central African Republic's capital, Bangui, on Jan. 2, 2013, as the commander of the regional African force FOMAC warned rebels against trying to take the town, saying it would "amount to a declaration of war."

Ben Curtis / AP

Chadian soldiers who are fighting in support of Central African Republic President Francois Bozize ride in a convoy on the road leading to Damara, about 44 miles north of Bangui, on Jan. 2, 2013.

Rebels in the Central African Republic said they had halted their advance on the capital on Wednesday and agreed to start peace talks, Reuters reports.

The Seleka rebels had pushed to within striking distance of Bangui after a three-week onslaught and threatened to oust President Francois Bozize, accusing him of reneging on a previous peace deal and cracking down on dissidents.

More than 30 truckloads of troops from neighboring Chad lined a two-lane highway outside the nearby town of Damara on Wednesday, The Associated Press reports, supporting government forces who aimed to block the rebel advance. Gen. Jean Felix Akaga, who heads a 10-nation regional force, said the town is a "red line that the rebels cannot cross" or his forces will attack. 

The U.S. Embassy in Bangui was evacuated on Dec. 28 as a result of the uncertain security situation in the country.

Ben Curtis / AP

Chadian soldiers on the road leading to Damara on Jan. 2, 2013.

Ben Curtis / AP

A Chadian soldier sits on a truck near Damara on Jan. 2, 2013.

Ben Curtis / AP

A soldier runs to jump on a moving truck carrying Chadian soldiers in Damara on Jan. 2, 2013.

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Phil Moore / AFP - Getty Images

A group of internally displaced Congolese gather in the Mugunga III IDP camp in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo on December 2, 2012.

UN refugee agency officials reported cases of looting and rape in an attack late on Saturday on a camp for people displaced by the fighting in eastern Congo, Agence France-Presse reports.

On Sunday people in the Mugunga III camp, which lies about six miles west of Goma and is home to up to 35,000 displaced people, lined up to receive food aid.

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"What is the point of all this food if there is no-one here to protect us, and to stop them coming back?" one resident of the camp asked. 

Rebel fighters pulled out of Goma on Saturday, raising hopes regional peace efforts could advance negotiations to end the insurgency.

Phil Moore / AFP - Getty Images

A boy shelters from the rain under a truck in the Mugunga III IDP camp on December 2, 2012.

Phil Moore / AFP - Getty Images

A man unloads sacks of food aid at the Mugunga III camp on December 2, 2012.

Phil Moore / AFP - Getty Images

A boy is apprehended by a policeman after he was accused of stealing a bag of salt in the Mugunga III IDP camp on December 2, 2012.

Feisal Omar / Reuters

Families flee from al-Shabab held towns to Mogadishu, Somalia, on Feb. 16, 2012, following al-Qaeda's declaration last week that the Somali militant group was joining its ranks.

The Associated Press reports from MOGADISHU, Somalia — Thousands of Somalis are fleeing an insurgent-held town into the capital because they fear a military attack by African Union (AU) troops allied to the weak Somali government.

Hundreds of cars and trucks packed with mattresses and other household items created traffic jams in the capital of Mogadishu on Thursday.

The exodus comes a day after Somali and AU troops extended their reach beyond Somali capital to launch an offensive on Elasha Biyaha. The rebel-held settlement is inhabited by Somalis who fled Mogadishu violence in 2007.

Last week it was reported that the Somali militant group al-Shabab, which is fighting the Somali government and AU forces, had formally joined al-Qaida.

Feisal Omar / Reuters

People flee from al-Shabab held towns to Mogadishu on Feb. 16, 2012.