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UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres calls on all actors in the conflict in the Central African Republic to calm down and work to ensure that the upcoming elections are peaceful and trustworthy.
Faustin-Archange Touadéra, President of the Central African Republic, who is rocked by unrest before the next presidential elections. Stock Photography.
“It condemns the escalation of violence and urges all actors to end hostilities as soon as possible,” Guterre’s spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.
Peacekeeping forces have been deployed to ensure that armed groups do not impede the December 27 elections.
Three large armed groups accuse President Faustin-Archange Touadéra of trying to be reelected for a second term through electoral fraud. According to aid organizations and UN sources, the capital is now threatened by a blockade, after armed groups took possession of the roads leading to the city.
Guterres calls on the various parties to peacefully resolve their conflicts.
“The people of the Central African Republic have been plagued with violence and instability for far too long,” the statement said.
Since the overthrow of former President François Bozizé in 2013, the Central African Republic has been plagued with clashes between Muslim and Christian armed movements.
Touadéra, who was prime minister under the Bozizé government, was elected president in 2016. Last year he reached an agreement with various armed groups in the country, but failed to achieve lasting peace in the country.
