The Central African Republic's (CAR) former President François Bozizé has returned to the country after six years in exile, raising questions about his motives.

Mr Bozizé's return was announced on Monday by his Kwa Na Kwa party, leading observers to speculate that they could be preparing for his candidature in next year's election.

A presidential candidate is required to have lived in the country for at least a year.

Analyst Louisa Lombard, professor of political anthropology at Yale University in the US, told Focus on Africa radio that it was unclear how Bozizé will be treated especially since he is in the UN sanctions list.

"I would say that it makes a joke of the idea of ending impunity in the country but its almost worse than that its more of an insult at this point," she said.