In a briefing to the Security Council, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative, Babacar Gaye, told the 15-member body that swathes of the CAR’s population remain at risk from attacks by the Muslim Séléka alliance and the Christian anti-Balaka militia as the two groups continue to wage hostilities in the country’s ongoing civil conflict.

In addition, he said, the country had witnessed an uptick in the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) with 50,000 new IDPs registered since the beginning of the year.

Nevertheless, Gaye pointed to the holding of “historic local consultations,” completed in March, which had offered CAR citizens “an opportunity to express their views on issues at the heart of the crisis, including justice and reconciliation, peace and security, governance, and socio-economic development priorities.”

He explained that despite disagreements between the country’s Government and the National Transition Council over plans to hold later in the month the so-called Bangui Forum on reconciliation, the UN Mission in the CAR, known by its French acronym MINUSCA, had managed to defuse tensions and promote “an approach based on consensus.”

The completion of the Forum would ultimately be “another milestone” in the CAR’s transition, the UN official added.

“Commitments on the part of all national stakeholders, including political and military leaders of armed groups, are critical to keep the transition on track and open the way toward next steps in the transition process, including the organization of elections and the launch of longer term national reconciliation efforts,” he said.

Meanwhile, Gaye also observed that the country’s political transition had reached a “critical stage” as national stakeholders scramble to organize credible elections which, he said, would mark the end of the country’s transition.