BANGUI (AFP) – Central Africa must shed full light on what caused the death of former minister turned rebel leader Charles Massi, whose family alleges he was tortured, former president Ange-Felix Patasse has said.

The press reported "a few days ago" that Massi was arrested in Chad and transferred to the Central African Republic, Patasse said in a statement dated January 27 and made available to AFP on Sunday.

He was "imprisoned at Bossembele (150 kilometres -- 95 miles -- northwest of the capital Bangui) where he was said to have been tortured to death," he added.

"To avoid any misunderstanding, we ask the Central African government to shed light on this alarming case," said Patasse who was the country's president between 1993 and March 2003 when he was ousted by incumbent Francois Bozize.

Patasse called for an international fact-finding panel to establish the truth surrounding the reports.

Massi, 57, was a minister in the government of Patasse and Bozize.

He headed the Convention of Patriots for Justice and Peace (CPJP), a rebel movement active in northwestern Central African Republic that has not signed up to a peace process in the country.

In May 2009 Massi was arrested in southern Chad and imprisoned for "fraudulent entry" and "attempted destabilisation of a neighbouring country", Chad's Interior Minister Ahmat Mahamat Bachir told AFP at the time.

He was released in July.

CPJP fighters clashed with the country's army several times in 2009 in the northwestern Ndele region.

The fighting has led to population displacement and the creation of a refugee camp for about 6,000 people at Daha on Chad's side of the border.

Patasse said his call for an investigation did not mean he endorsed the rebels' cause but was rather motivated by the fact that he wanted the country to return to peace as it prepares for presidential and legislative elections.

Massi's family and his party say they had information from various sources including aides to the president that he died on January 8 from torture.

He was said to have been arrested on December 19 in Chad and brought back to Bangui at the end of December.

Bangui denied the reports on January 21, saying they were "lies".

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