'Reasons to hope' for sustainable peace in Central African Republic - UN Mission chief.

The top United Nations official in the Central African Republic (CAR), said on Tuesday he is 'hopeful that the necessary foundations to build sustainable peace' have been established and that long-lasting stability will depend on the will of its people, and support from the international community.

Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, who also heads the UN stabilization mission in the country, MINUSCA, told the UN Security Council that, since the mission was established, 'much progress' has been made to 'extinguish the flames of the devastating inter-communal conflict.'

Civil conflict between Christian and the Muslims communities in CAR broke out in 2013 and, after a short respite in 2015, intensified again the following year, throwing the country into a new spiral of violence.

MINUSCA was deployed in 2014 with a mandate to protect civilians, support the political transition, assist with the delivery of humanitarian assistance and promote the disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR) process.

'The Mission is preventing atrocities daily and continues to preserve the State's territorial integrity,' the head of MINUSCA said.

Among other 'reasons to hope' that the Special Representative cited are the overall improvement in the security situation, the democratic elections held in 2015 and 2016, and the restoration of constitutional order across the country, as civilian authorities have been redeployed nationwide.

In addition, six non-state armed groups have agreed to participate in the DDR process which is to start by the end of the year.

'Our work is of course not finished,' he acknowledged, explaining that 'the country is still facing numerous challenges. The drivers of conflict remain and attacks against civilians continue to take place, causing mass displacements of people.'

The UN office which coordinates humanitarian affairs (OCHA), estimates that close to 615,000 people are currently displaced in CAR and up to 2.5 million people are in...