BANGUI: Central African Republic's interim President Catherine Samba Panza replaced the defence, public security and justice ministers as part of a cabinet reshuffle, according to a decree read on state radio late on Thursday.

The decision, less than two months before a December 13 general election, follows weeks of consultations initiated by Samba Panza in the wake of inter-religious violence that killed 77 people in the capital Bangui in late September.