Madar (Bangui) - The UN Secretary-General's Special Representative in the Central African Republic and head of MINUSCA, Valentine Rugwabiza, warned the Security Council on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, against a premature withdrawal of peacekeepers, saying it could jeopardise recent gains as the war in Sudan fuels instability along the country's eastern border, UN News reported.
She cited a June 30 attack by an armed group on the border town of Am-Dafock that killed civilians and security personnel, displaced 17,000 people and wounded six peacekeepers, saying MINUSCA's rapid-response capability had prevented a higher death toll.
Rugwabiza pointed to the disarmament of 1,907 fighters since July 2025 and the creation of municipal councils in 127 of 177 municipalities, Africanews reported, but said large areas remain unstable: between June and September, 26 serious incidents in the southeast were attributed to the Lord's Resistance Army, including the abduction of 68 civilians, about 40 of them children. Three hostages were released on Monday after mediation.
Nearly two million people faced acute food insecurity between April and August, while the UN humanitarian plan was only 46.6 percent funded at the start of October.
The Security Council must decide before mid-November whether to renew the mandate of the mission, which fields more than 12,000 peacekeepers, with the United States arguing for larger troop cuts and other members warning against a hasty exit. The Secretary-General has recommended a one-year extension that preserves rapid-intervention capabilities. Mauritania contributes military units to the mission, most recently rotating its ninth contingent in November 2025.
