UN condemns killing of peacekeepers in Central African Republic
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E-mail Xinhua, July 27, 2017
UNITED NATIONS, July 26 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres Wednesday condemned the killing of two peacekeepers from the UN peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic in the country's southeastern city of Bangassou.
On Tuesday, two Moroccan peacekeepers were killed and one other was injured in an attack by the suspected anti-Balaka elements, according to the UN. The incident came two days after the attack that led to the death of another Moroccan peacekeeper in Bangassou on Sunday.
In a statement, Guterres said he is deeply concerned at the fighting in the southeast of the Central African Republic, heightened inter-ethnic tensions and efforts by spoilers to derail the stabilization process in the country.
"If allowed to continue, the prevailing situation risks undermining the hard-won gains achieved towards lasting peace," said the statement.
The UN Security Council also condemned "in the strongest terms" the attack on the UN peacekeeping mission.
In a unanimous statement, the 15-nation council urged the Central African authorities to investigate this and all previous incidents without delay and bring the perpetrators to justice.
"The members of the Security Council called on all parties to cease violence immediately, and underlined the need for the Central African authorities, the sub-region and the international community to work in a concerted manner to avoid a further deterioration of the situation in the country," said the statement.
Despite significant progress and successful elections, the Central African Republic still suffers instability and sporadic unrest.
Clashes between the mainly Muslim Seleka rebel coalition and anti-Balaka militia, mostly Christian, plunged the country of 4.5 million people into civil conflict in 2013.
The UN says in Bangassou alone, nine peacekeepers have been killed since the beginning of this year. Enditem
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