Interim president Catherine Samba-Panza was due to be inaugurated Thursday amid a climate of fear and violence in the Central African Republic, where at least 10 people have been killed in recent days, dpa reported. Samba-Panza's election last week was meant to re-launch the political process in the conflict-ridden nation, after the previous political leadership stepped down. Her election was also designed to help bring peace, since Samba-Panza, is said to be respected by both sides of the conflict. She was chosen on January 20 by CAR's provisional parliament as the country's first female leader from a list of eight candidates. About 2.2 million people - around half the population - are in need of humanitarian aid, according to the United Nations. The European Union has in the meantime approved a military intervention in CAR to provide backup to the 1,600 French and 3,500 African Union peacekeepers already in the strife-torn country.
