UN Security Council Extends MINUSCA Mandate

The United Nations Security Council decided Tuesday to extend the mandate of its peacekeeping force in Central African Republic after concluding that the war-torn country remains a threat to international peace and security. The 15-member world body said MINUSCA, as the force is known, will now be deployed until July 31.
MINUSCA recently oversaw the peaceful organization of a constitutional referendum in December last year, as well as mostly nonviolent elections that led to last month’s inauguration of President Faustin-Archange Touadéra, a former prime minister and math teacher.
Touadéra’s presidential inauguration marked the final chapter of the political transition that began after the predominantly Muslim militia known as Séléka seized power in late 2012 from President François Bozizé, a Christian. The episode triggered a vicious tit-for-tat cycle of sectarian violence. The warring sides have not yet laid down their arms.