UN seeks to shore up C. Africa truce
Central Africa's President Catherine Samba-Panza. The UN Security Council has thrown its support behind a ceasefire deal reached by warring factions in the Central African Republic and said the agreement should be fully implemented. PHOTO | FILE
What you need to know:
- Christian and Muslim rebel factions signed the accord following talks in Brazzaville on Wednesday in what was hailed as a first step to end the bloodshed in one of Africa’s poorest countries.
- Thousands of people have died and nearly a quarter of the population has been driven from their homes in the chaos that followed a March 2013 coup against long-serving President Francois Bozize.
UNITED NATIONS
The UN Security Council has thrown its support behind a ceasefire deal reached by warring factions in the Central African Republic and said the agreement should be fully implemented.
Christian and Muslim rebel factions signed the accord following talks in Brazzaville on Wednesday in what was hailed as a first step to end the bloodshed in one of Africa’s poorest countries.
In a statement, the Council said it welcomed the deal and “called on all parties to immediately and fully implement this agreement.”
It noted “the paramount importance of preserving the unity and territorial integrity” of the country after Muslim Seleka rebels dropped their demand for a partitioning of CAR to create a Muslim statelet in the north.
“This agreement is a first step in a wider political process in the Central African Republic,” said the Council, citing the need for political dialogue, disarmament of rebels including of child soldiers, and elections.
Thousands of people have died and nearly a quarter of the population has been driven from their homes in the chaos that followed a March 2013 coup against long-serving President Francois Bozize.
