UNITED NATIONS, May 23 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday strongly condemned the attacks against villages in northwestern Central African Republic (CAR) on Tuesday, which has left at least 34 people dead, said his spokesman Stephane Dujarric.
The attacks on several villages near the border with Chad were attributed to 3R (Retour, Reclamation et Rehabilitation), an armed group that is a signatory to the peace agreement signed on Feb. 6 in Bangui, said Dujarric in a statement.
Guterres called on the CAR authorities to investigate those attacks and to swiftly bring those responsible to justice, noting that attacks against civilians may constitute war crimes, said the statement.
All signatories to the peace agreement have committed themselves to respecting international humanitarian law and human rights, he said, urging all the signatory armed groups to immediately cease all violence in line with their commitments in the peace agreement.
The secretary-general reiterated the determination of the UN peacekeeping mission in the country to protect civilians and support the implementation of the peace agreement, which, he said, represents the only viable path to peace in the CAR.
He expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and to the people and government of the CAR, and wished a speedy recovery to those injured, said the statement.
The CAR has been in civil war since 2012, which is being fought along religious and ethnic lines.
