The Central African Republic (CAR) initialled a peace deal with 14 armed groups on Tuesday following two weeks of talks in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum.

The peace deal was announced on Saturday by the African Union but the terms were not immediately released.

The accord was initialled by President Faustin Archange Touadera for the CAR government and representatives of the militias which control most of the chronically-troubled country.



It will be formally signed in the CAR capital of Bangui "in the coming days," Touadera's office said, without announcing a date.



"The Khartoum Agreement opens the door for peace to return to our homeland," Touadera declared at the ceremony.

"It is now time to open a new page for Central Africa. Let's go together to Bangui to build our country together."

The talks were deadlocked over disagreements on amnesty issues earlier in the week, according to the AFP news agency.

Under pressure from Western allies, the Bangui government has always refused amnesty for warlords, several of whom are under UN sanctions or cited for human rights violations in UN reports.

The talks in Khartoum aimed to reach an accord and put in place a follow-up committee to try to establish peace in CAR, a country ravaged by war since 2012. This is the eighth agreement since the hostilities began.

Arms embargo

On Thursday, the UN Security Council agreed to a possible easing of an arms embargo on the CAR to allow weapons supplies for government forces fighting the militias, who control much of the country.

A UN sanctions committee has already granted several exemptions to allow shipments of weapons to the poorly equipped army.

The UN arms embargo was imposed in 2013 when the country descended into bloodletting after President Francois Bozize, a Christian, was overthrown by mainly Muslim Seleka rebels.

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Former colonial ruler France intervened militarily under a UN mandate, pushing the Seleka from power, and a UN peacekeeping mission, known as MINUSCA, was established to help restore stability.

With most regions outside the capital still overrun by armed militias, the government in Bangui has repeatedly called for the restrictions to be lifted to allow arms deliveries to shore up its security forces.

Thousands of people have been killed during violence in CAR, one of Africa's poorest countries, where a quarter of the 4.5 million people have fled their homes because of the unrest.</s>KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Central African Republic initialed a peace deal with 14 armed groups on Tuesday following two weeks of talks in the Sudanese capital Khartoum.

The peace deal was announced on Saturday by the African Union but the terms were not immediately released. Central African Republic has been rocked by violence since 2013 when mainly Muslim Selaka rebels ousted then-president Francois Bozize, prompting reprisals from mostly Christian militias. U.N. peacekeepers were deployed in 2014.</s>JOHANNESBURG (AP) — A peace deal has been reached between the Central African Republic government and 14 armed groups after their first-ever direct dialogue aimed at ending years of conflict, the United Nations and African…

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — A peace deal has been reached between the Central African Republic government and 14 armed groups after their first-ever direct dialogue aimed at ending years of conflict, the United Nations and African Union announced on Saturday.

The peace deal represents rare hope for the impoverished, landlocked nation where interreligious and intercommunal fighting has continued since 2013. Thousands of people have been killed and hundreds of thousands displaced in a conflict that has sent two people to the International Criminal Court.

“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 on Sunday will sign a draft of the agreement, which focuses on power-sharing and transitional justice, Sudan’s state media reported, citing Sudan’s chief negotiator Atta al-Manan. The final deal is expected to be signed on Wednesday. Talks began Jan. 24 in Khartoum.

“This is a great day for Central African Republic and all its people,” said the AU commissioner for peace and security, Smail Chergui.

The fighting has carried the high risk of genocide, the U.N. has warned. The conflict began in 2013 when predominantly Muslim Seleka rebels seized power in the capital, Bangui. Largely Christian anti-Balaka militias fought back. Scores of mosques were burned. Priests and other religious leaders were killed. Many Muslims fled the country after mobs decapitated and dismembered some in the streets.

The vicious fighting in a country known more for coups than interreligious violence was so alarming that Pope Francis made a bold visit in 2015, removing his shoes and bowing his head at the Central Mosque in the last remaining Muslim neighborhood of the capital, Bangui.

“Together we say ‘no’ to hatred,” the pope said.

The violence has never disappeared, intensifying and spreading last year after a period of relative peace as armed groups battled over lands rich in gold, diamonds and uranium.

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.

In a grim report last year marking five years of the conflict, the U.N. children’s agency said fighters often target civilians rather than each other, attacking health facilities and schools, mosques and churches and camps for displaced people. At least half of the more than 640,000 people displaced are children, it said, and thousands are thought to have joined the armed groups, often under pressure.

Last month the chief of Central African Republic’s soccer federation appeared at the International Criminal Court for the first time since he was arrested last year in France on charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes. Patrice-Edouard Ngaissona is accused of leading the anti-Balaka for at least a year early in the fighting.

In November a Central African Republic militia leader and lawmaker, Alfred Yekatom, made his first ICC appearance, accused of crimes including murder, torture and using child soldiers. He allegedly commanded some 3,000 fighters in a predominantly Christian militia in and around the capital early in the fighting. He was arrested last year after firing gunshots in parliament.

So far no Seleka fighters have been publicly targeted by the court’s chief prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda.

As the peace talks began last month, the Norwegian Refugee Council warned of “catastrophe” if no agreement was reached, saying repeated cycles of violence in one of the world’s poorest nations had “pushed people(asterisk)s resistance to breaking point.”

A majority of Central African Republic’s 2.9 million people urgently need humanitarian support, the group said.

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.

Copyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.</s>CAIRO — Central African Republic’s government has initialed a peace deal with 14 armed groups following more than a week of talks in Sudan’s capital.

President Faustin Archange Touadera is attending Tuesday’s ceremony in Khartoum along with his Sudanese counterpart, Omar al-Bashir, and a representative of the African Union.

The agreement represents rare hope for the impoverished, landlocked nation where religious and communal fighting has continued since 2013. Thousands of people have been killed and hundreds of thousands displaced.

Details of the peace deal have not been announced, but Sudan’s state media have reported that it focuses on power-sharing and transitional justice.

The United Nations has warned that the fighting in Central African Republic has carried a high risk of genocide. Scores of mosques have been burned. Religious leaders have been killed.</s>By The Associated Press

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Central African Republic, 14 armed groups reach peace deal after years of fighting, United Nations says.

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Central African Republic, 14 armed groups reach peace deal after years of fighting, United Nations says.

Copyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.</s>Central African Republic's government on Tuesday initialed a peace deal with 14 armed groups following unprecedented talks aimed at ending more than five years of conflict.

The agreement represents rare hope for one of the world's poorest nations, where religious and communal fighting erupted in 2013. Thousands of people have been killed and hundreds of thousands displaced in a conflict that has sent two people to the International Criminal Court.

"The difficult time starts now, and that is implementing the Khartoum Agreement ... This agreement is crucial for peace," said Herbert Gontran Djono Ahaba, speaking on behalf of the rebels. The talks that began Jan. 24 in Sudan's capital were the first-ever direct dialogue among the warring parties.

Representatives of the rebels shook hands with President Faustin Archange Touadera and Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir after they initialed the deal.

"Now is the time for us to turn a new page, the page of Central African Republic which has reconciled with itself, in order to preserve its dignity," Touadera said, adding: "We do not have the right to disappoint."

Details of the agreement have not been announced. The head of Central African Republic's government delegation said they will announce them after the formal signing back home in the capital, Bangui. A date has not been set.

"I'm very happy to see this day," African Union Commission Chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat said. The AU facilitated the talks, supported by the United Nations. "Concessions should be made, and we should all accept each other, and this page should be closed, the page of violence and destruction."

The fighting has carried the high risk of genocide, the U.N. has warned. The conflict began when predominantly Muslim Seleka rebels seized power in Bangui. Largely Christian anti-Balaka militias fought back. Scores of mosques were burned. Religious leaders were killed. Many Muslims fled the country after mobs decapitated and dismembered some in the streets.

The vicious fighting in a country known more for coups than religious violence was so alarming that Pope Francis made a bold visit in 2015, removing his shoes and bowing his head at the Central Mosque in the last remaining Muslim neighborhood of the capital.

"Together we say 'no' to hatred," the pope said.

The violence has never disappeared, intensifying and spreading last year after a period of relative peace as armed groups battled over lands rich in gold, diamonds and uranium.

In a grim report last year marking five years of conflict, the U.N. children's agency said fighters often target civilians rather than each other, attacking health facilities and schools, mosques and churches and camps for displaced people. At least half of the more than 640,000 people displaced are children, it said, and thousands are thought to have joined armed groups, often under pressure.

A majority of Central African Republic's 2.9 million people urgently need humanitarian support, the Norwegian Refugee Council said last month as the peace talks began.

Last month the chief of Central African Republic's soccer federation appeared at the ICC for the first time since he was arrested last year in France on charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes. Patrice-Edouard Ngaissona is accused of leading the anti-Balaka for at least a year early in the fighting.

In November a Central African Republic militia leader and lawmaker, Alfred Yekatom, made his first ICC appearance, accused of crimes including murder, torture and using child soldiers. He allegedly commanded some 3,000 fighters in a predominantly Christian militia in and around the capital early in the fighting. He was arrested last year after firing gunshots in parliament.

So far no Seleka fighters have been publicly targeted by the court's chief prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda.

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.</s>KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Central African Republic signed a peace deal with 14 armed groups on Tuesday following two weeks of talks in the Sudanese capital Khartoum.

The peace deal was announced on Saturday by the African Union but the terms were not immediately released.

Central African Republic has been rocked by violence since 2013 when mainly Muslim Selaka rebels ousted then-president Francois Bozize, prompting reprisals from mostly Christian militia.

Thousands of people have died because of the unrest in the diamond and gold-producing country, and a fifth of the 4.5 million population have fled their homes.

A 12,000-strong U.N. peacekeeping mission, deployed since 2014, has struggled to restore order to the countryside where the government has little or no control and attacks on civilians are frequent. Over a dozen peacekeepers were killed by rebels in 2017 alone.

The government and rebels expressed optimism over the deal on Saturday. Lasting peace is not guaranteed, however, because similar agreements in 2014, 2015 and 2017 all broke down.</s>Addis Abeba, 5 February 2019: The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, today, attended the initialing ceremony of a peace accord between the Government of the Central African Republic and fourteen armed groups, in Khartoum, the Sudan.

The Chairperson commends the Central African stakeholders, the Government and the armed groups in particular, for their commitment and spirit of compromise. He expresses appreciation to the Sudanese authorities for their contribution and support to the peace and reconciliation process. He also commends the African Union Peace and Security Commissioner, Smaïl Chergui, and his team for their diligence in accompanying the process, thus paving the way for lasting peace and reconciliation in the Central African Republic.

The Chairperson urges the Central African parties to fully implement the commitments made, in order to meet the aspirations of their people to peace, security and development. He reiterates the African Union’s continued determination to support the implementation of the agreement, in the spirit of continental solidarity.

The Chairperson of the Commission will travel to Bangui to witness the signing of the peace accord, together with President Faustin Archange Touadera, representatives from the region and the wider international community.</s>BANGUI, Central African Republic (AP) - Central African Republic and 14 rebel groups have signed a peace deal even as some express alarm about the possible suspension of prosecutions after five years of bloody conflict.

The agreement is the eighth since the fighting began in 2013 but the first to emerge from direct dialogue.

The deal is said to incorporate representatives of armed groups in the government of one of the world's poorest nations.

"We are shocked because we see our authorities jubilant alongside our executioners," Yannick Nalimo, a journalist and blogger, tells The Associated Press. "It does not put anyone at ease."

Details of the peace deal have not been publicly released. Officials had said that will occur after the signing.</s>FLORENT VERGNES/AFP | A militiaman, stands guard at the entrance of the headquarters of the Muslim 'self-defence force' in the PK5 district of Bangui, Nov. 15, 2017.

The government of the Central African Republic and 14 armed groups inked a new peace accord in Sudanese capital, Khartoum on Tuesday to end years of fighting that has left thousands of people dead.

The accord, the seventh since 2012, was initialled by President Faustin Archange Touadera for the CAR government, an AFP correspondent reported.

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who hosted the talks in Khartoum sponsored by the African Union and the United Nations that culminated in the agreement, was also present at the ceremony. Talks began January 24 in Khartoum.

The impoverished, landlocked nation has been rocked by violence since 2013 when mainly Muslim Seleka rebels ousted then president François Bozizé, prompting reprisals from mostly Christian militias and interreligious, intercommunal fighting.

UN peacekeepers were deployed in 2014. Thousands of people have been killed and hundreds of thousands displaced in a conflict that has sent two people to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The fighting has carried the high risk of genocide, the UN has warned. The conflict has uprooted more than a million people, according to the UN, and has spiraled into a civil war. Scores of mosques have been burned, and priests and other religious leaders killed.

The vicious fighting in a country known more for coups than interreligious violence was so alarming that Pope Francis made a bold visit in 2015, removing his shoes and bowing his head at the Central Mosque in the last remaining Muslim neighbourhood of the capital, Bangui.

"Together we say 'no' to hatred," the pope said.

The violence has never disappeared, intensifying and spreading last year after a period of relative peace as armed groups battled over lands rich in gold, diamonds and uranium.

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 UN 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.

In a grim report last year marking five years of the conflict, the UN children's agency said fighters often target civilians rather than each other, attacking health facilities and schools, mosques and churches and camps for displaced people.

At least half of the more than 640,000 people displaced are children, it said, and thousands are thought to have joined the armed groups, often under pressure.

As the peace talks began last month, the Norwegian Refugee Council warned of "catastrophe" if no agreement was reached, saying repeated cycles of violence in one of the world's poorest nations had "pushed people’s resistance to breaking point".

A majority of Central African Republic's 2.9 million people urgently need humanitarian support, the group said.
The Government of the Central African Republic sign a peace deal with 14 rebel groups.