UN Security Council extends peacekeeping mission in CAR

The UN Security Council voted on Monday to extend for another year the UN Peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic .

The vote was 12 in favour with three abstentions, namely those of Russia , China and Gabon .

The French-drafted resolution maintains the robust mandate of the 17,500 peacekeeping mission, focusing on protecting civilians, whilst encouraging President Faustin-Archange Touadera and his government to promote lasting peace and stability through a reinvigorated political and peace process.

Intercommunal fighting has raged in the mineral-rich but impoverished Central African Republic since 2013 .

The government controls the capital, but much of the country is controlled by armed groups.

The resolution adopted Monday urges all parties to respect the ceasefire and urgently implement a reconciliation process.

CAR’s Foreign Minister Sylvie Valérie Baipo-Temon denounced the “an alarming humanitarian situation,” adding the country needs a mandate to address the armed groups.