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United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in a file image, urged parties to the CAR peace treaty to pick up speed. By Fabrice COFFRINI (AFP)
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday called on the signatories of a peace agreement in the Central African Republic to "accelerate its implementation", the day after the formation of a new government including representatives of armed groups.
Guterres "urges all signatories of the Political Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation to adhere to the agreed principles, including the rejection of violence and respect for human rights and human dignity", states a statement.
"He also urges all signatories of the peace agreement to accelerate its implementation."
The new government of Central Africa, appointed by presidential decree on Friday, includes ministers of armed groups who signed the peace agreement signed last month.
Under the terms of a peace agreement signed in the Central African capital, Bangui, on February 6, President Faustin-Archange Touadera agreed to form an "inclusive" government.
The resource-rich country has been devastated since 2013 by a war that has caused the displacement of about a quarter of its 4.5 million inhabitants.
The peace agreement – the eighth since 2012 in the conflict-ridden and impoverished state – has brought together the Central African government and 14 armed groups that control most of the country.
The CAR is struggling to recover from the bloodshed that erupted when former President François Bozizé, a Christian, was overthrown in 2013 by Seleka rebels.
Armed groups, who generally claim to defend an ethnic or religious group, control about 80 percent of the CAR, often competing for access to the country's mineral wealth.
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