The rebel strongman who seized power in the Central African Republic last month, Michel Djotodia, on Saturday ordered the creation of a transitional body to designate an interim president for the country.

The decree complies with demands from the six-nation Economic Community of Central African States, which rejected Djotodia's initial bid to declare himself president after his Seleka rebel coalition grabbed the capital Bangui on March 24, ousting President Francois Bozize.

President Jacob Zuma on Friday hit back at people demanding answers about the deaths of 13 South African soldiers deployed to the Central African Republic, warning they threaten state security.

"Political parties and commentators should be careful not to delve into operational matters that could endanger state and personnel security," the presidency said in a statement.

The Central African Republic's rebel strongman Michel Djotodia has accepted the outcome of a regional summit on the country's crisis, which called for the election of a new interim president following last month's coup, the prime minister said Thursday.

"I have discussed (the issue) with the head of state (Djotodia), who has given his agreement that this solution be chosen," said Prime Minister Nicolas Tiangaye, who attended Wednesday's summit of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) in N'Djamena.

South Africa has decided to pull its troops out of the Central African Republic because the deal under which they were deployed has become void with the fall the government there, President Jacob Zuma said Thursday.

"We have taken a decision to withdraw our soldiers," Zuma was quoted as saying by the public broadcaster SABC, at the end of a summit of African regional leaders.

African heads of state decided Wednesday that it was impossible to recognize rebel chief Michel Djotodia as president of the Central African Republic (CAR), and want the country to elect a transitional president, Chad's leader said at the end of a summit called to discuss the political crisis.

"As things stand now, it is impossible to recognize a self-proclaimed president," Chadian President Idriss Deby told journalists. "A committee selected by national figures must lead the transition. This body will have the executive role and must vote for a transitional president" who would serve for no more than 18 months.

Uganda has suspended its hunt for Lord's Resistance Army chief Joseph Kony in Central African Republic after Seleka rebels took control of the country, an army spokesman said Wednesday.

"We have temporarily suspended operations against the LRA until further notice," army spokesman Felix Kulayigye said.

The Central African Republic's Prime Minister Nicolas Tiangaye on Sunday named his new post-coup government mostly made up of rebels and members of the former opposition after being brought back by self-proclaimed president Michel Djotodia, under a decree read on national radio.

The 34-member cabinet includes nine ministers from the rebel Seleka coalition that has been in power for a week, eight from the former opposition and one close to ex-president Francois Bozize. The other 16 are largely unknown.

The Central African Republic's new strongman Michel Djotodia vowed Saturday to hand over power at the end of the three-year transition he declared after his coup a week ago, and not contest the 2016 elections.

Djotodia spoke at a rally of up to 3,000 supporters in the riverside capital Bangui, as the United States condemned his "illegitimate seizure of power" and called for a rapid return to democracy.

The United States on Saturday condemned the rebel takeover of the Central African Republic and called for a rapid return to constitutional government after the country's latest coup.

"The United States remains deeply concerned about the serious deterioration in the security situation in the Central African Republic," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in a statement.

Pope Francis called Wednesday for an immediate stop to violence and pillaging in the Central African Republic, three days after president Francois Bozize was forced into exile by a bloody coup.

"I am following the situation in the Central African Republic with great attention," Francis said in his first reference to a specific conflict since his inauguration to the papacy last week.