BANGUI, Central African Republic — The interim leader of Central African Republic insisted Monday the era of anarchy in the tumultuous country was over, a bold declaration made only days after the man who had seized power in a coup last year stepped down under international pressure.
Alexandre Ferdinand Nguendet heads the national council that will now select an interim president by the end of next week. The council is due to convene on Tuesday to begin the work of replacing Michel Djotodia, the rebel leader who resigned on Friday.
Djotodia came under mounting international criticism after his government failed to stem unprecedented levels of violence between the country’s Christian and Muslim communities. More than 1,000 people were killed in December alone, and nearly 1 million people fled their homes.
‘‘The pillaging and the chaos are over,’’ Nguendet told police officers on Monday while urging them to retake their posts. ‘‘I’m calling for your help in reestablishing security across all of Central African Republic.’’
Last year’s coup plunged the deeply impoverished country into a state of near-anarchy in which the top rebel leaders exerted little control over their fighters in the streets.
While Djotodia’s departure was met with jubilation, retaliatory violence has killed 39 people since Friday, according to the local Red Cross.