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.