Luanda, ANGOLA, February 2 - Angola defended last Friday, in New York, the suspension of the arms embargo against the Central African Republic (CAR), enacted by the UN in 2013 to avoid confrontations between the security forces of that country and armed groups.,

Speaking at the UN Sanctions Committee, the Permanent Representative of Angola to the United Nations, Maria de Jesus Ferreira, said that the CAR government is the main victim of the embargo.

Cited by a press note from the Permanent Representation of Angola to the UN, the diplomat stressed that the rebels continue to have access to weapons and threaten the country's integrity.

Maria de Jesus Ferreira requested the support of the Security Council to countries in the region that provide economic assistance and security to the Central African Republic.

In New York, the ambassador expressed Angola's willingness to collaborate with the Sanctions Committee and the UN Security Council, making it clear that Angola has no secret agenda in CAR, other than "helping a brother country".

On the occasion, he encouraged the joint efforts of African countries and other players in the fight against terrorism, violent extremism, piracy and maritime insecurity in supporting the promotion of disarmament measures in the Central African Republic.

This path, the diplomat continued, would contribute to peaceful integration.

The Permanent Representative of Angola to the United Nations reaffirmed the need to end impunity in that central African country and bring to justice those responsible for acts harmful to peace.

In her intervention at the Sanctions Committee, Maria de Jesus Ferreira recalled that Angola, as guarantor of the peace agreement in CAR, remains committed to working with the countries of the region for the "full implementation of this understanding".

The CAR government and 14 armed groups initialled in February 2019 in Khartoum, Sudan, a peace agreement to end the armed conflict in the country.

He specified that Angola is ready to transmit its experience in the fields of reconciliation and post-conflict reconstruction.

The diplomat hoped that preparations for the presidential, legislative and local elections in CAR will be successful, in a process planned for 2020/2021.

Angola and the Central African Republic cooperate in several areas and are members of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) and the International Conference for the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR).