DAKAR

At least 23 people were killed and scores wounded, in the Central African Republic (CAR), as fighting broke out between the rival groups on Saturday, the UN peacekeeping mission in the country informed on Sunday.

The intense fighting took place in the eastern Birao region, near the Sudanese border, the UN’s Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) said in a statement.

It added that a MINUSCA official was also wounded. 

The clash erupted between the Popular Front for the Renaissance of the Central African Republic (FPRC) and the Movement of Central African Freedom Fighters for Justice (MLCJ).

The warring rivals had signed a peace deal in February.

The clashes between the rival groups over recent months, have raised concerns about peace accord and its utility to end violence in the country.

The CAR has been wracked by violence since Seleka rebels ousted then-President Francois Bozize in 2013.

The landlocked country, bordered by Chad, Sudan, Congo and Cameroon have witnessed fierce fighting between the Muslim Seleka and the Christian anti-Balaka rebels past six years. It has forced nearly half of the country’s population, to migrate and depend on the humanitarian assistance, according to the UN.

*Writing by Gozde Bayar