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The UN’s envoy to the Central African Republic (CAR), Valentine Rugwabiza, says the country’s peace process has “regained momentum” following an April ceasefire between the government and two major armed groups. Speaking to the UN Security Council, Rugwabiza credited the deal and ongoing disarmament efforts for the security improvements in the country’s central and northwestern regions. She highlighted the upcoming December elections as a “turning point” for national stability but warned that renewed violence near Sudan’s border and looming UN budget cuts threaten recent gains. MINUSCA, the UN peacekeeping mission in the country, has been mandated to cut spending by 15%. Rugwabiza urged continued international backing, emphasizing that the mission remains vital to sustaining fragile peace in a nation still scarred by years of conflict.
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