UNITED NATIONS, July 13 (Xinhua) -- The UN Security Council on Friday urged armed groups in the Central African Republic (CAR) to cease fire and engage in the peace process following a series of violence against civilians, peacekeepers and humanitarian workers.
In a presidential statement, the council said it "urges armed groups, in Bangui and in the rest of the country, to cease all forms of violence, destabilizing activities and restrictions on freedom of movement of people, lay down their arms, immediately and unconditionally, and engage constructively in the peace process."
It also called on CAR authorities to advance the dialogue with armed groups and promote national reconciliation, the extension of state authority, the reform of the security sector, and the fight against impunity.
Particularly, on the reform of the security sector, the council urged implementation of the reform to put in place multi-ethnic, professional, representative and well-equipped national defense and internal security forces.
Moreover, the council expressed its deep concern for the humanitarian situation in the CAR, where nearly half of the population is in need of humanitarian assistance.
The CAR has been in civil war since 2012, which is being fought along religious and ethnic lines. The African Union has been leading a peace process in the country but there has been little progress.
Since February, there have been outbreaks of violence across the CAR and armed groups continue to exert a negative influence over vast stretches of the territory, according to Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, the special representative of the UN secretary-general in the country.
He has also warned that the humanitarian situation in the CAR remains dire. More than 688,000 people are internally displaced, and another 568,000 are refugees in neighboring countries. Attacks against humanitarian workers make the CAR the deadliest humanitarian context in the world.
