Disarmament, Reintegration Program Vital For Peace In CAR - UN Mission

A program aimed at disarming and demobilizing combatants in the Central African Republic (CAR) and reintegrating them via employment is essential to achieving peace in the country,

GENEVA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 05th September, 2018) A program aimed at disarming and demobilizing combatants in the Central African Republic (CAR) and reintegrating them via employment is essential to achieving peace in the country, the spokesman of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the CAR (MINUSCA) told Sputnik on Wednesday.

On August 8, MINUSCA announced that the Disarmament, Demobilization, Reintegration, Repatriation (DDRR) program would be launched in September with the support of seven armed groups.

"The Government is about to launch a DDRR process in the Western part of the country, which is essential in the road towards peace," Vladimir Monteiro said.

The MINUSCA spokesman added that apart from the DDRR program, the UN peacekeeping mission in the CAR also provided technical support to the African Union for its peacekeeping work in the country and encouraged local peace agreements between armed groups in the CAR.

Monteiro said that the parties to the ongoing armed conflict in the CAR continued to negotiate the terms of a peace deal.

"Discussions between parties continue," the spokesman said.

Since 2012, the country has been destabilized by the conflict between the Muslim armed group Seleka, Christian Anti-balaka militias and the government. Last week, Seleka and Anti-balaka signed a declaration of understanding after a Russia-brokered peace meeting in Khartoum.