A peace deal between the government of the Central African Republic and 14 rebel groups has been reached following weeks of talks in Sudan.
The deal comes after the first-ever direct dialogue between the government and the rebel groups aimed at ending years of conflict.
The deal was announced by the UN mission in CAR, known as Minusca, and the African Union (AU), which both sponsored the talks in Khartoum.
“I am determined to work with the president and his government to address the concerns of our brothers who took up arms,” said Central African Republic’s Cabinet director Firmin Ngrebada, according to the U.N.
The parties will on Sunday sign a draft of the agreement, which focuses on power-sharing and transitional justice.
The peace deal is expected to be signed in Bangui within the week.
“This is a great day for Central African Republic and all its people,” said the AU commissioner for peace and security, Smail Chergui.
#Centrafrique: I am humbled to announce that with the exemplary cooperation I received from both the Government of the CAR(@GouvCF) and the 14 armed groups, we have secured a #peace agreement today in the interest of the people of #CAR. #AfricanInitiative pic.twitter.com/depHqmN8n5
— Amb. Smail Chergui (@AU_Chergui) February 2, 2019
CAR, which has been unstable since gaining independence from France in 1960, was plunged into turmoil in 2013 when Muslim rebels from the Seleka umbrella group seized power in the majority-Christian country.
The fighting has carried the high risk of genocide, the U.N. has warned.
After more than 40 people were killed in a rebel attack on a displaced persons camp in November, both the leader of the 13,000-strong U.N. peacekeeping mission and the country’s prime minister both acknowledged shortcomings in the response.
“I knew that we did not have all the necessary means to protect our people,” the prime minister said.
Thousands have been killed in the violence and more than one million internally displaced. An estimated 570,000 people have fled abroad.
On Thursday, the U.N. Security Council voted unanimously to extend an arms embargo on Central African Republic for a year but raised the possibility that it could be lifted earlier as the government has long urged.
