U.N. urges implementation of CAR truce

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UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 14 (UPI) -- All parties to a peace deal that puts an end to fighting in the Central African Republic need to honor its terms, the U.N. Security Council said.

The Seleka rebel coalition agreed to the terms of a weeklong cease-fire agreement during peace negotiations with CAR officials in nearby Gabon.

Seleka rebels halted their recent move toward CAR's capital Bangui. Their campaign was meant to pressure President Francois Bozize to step aside.

The U.N. Security Council issued a statement calling for the swift implementation of the peace agreement.

"The members of the Security Council expressed serious concerns about reports of human rights violations, in particular reports of the targeting of ethnic minorities and arrests, recruitment and use of children and sexual and gender-based violence," a presidential statement read. "They emphasized that such activities must cease immediately and that those responsible for such violations should be held accountable."

Jules Gauthier Ngbapo, a CAR minister, said Friday that both sides agreed to form a unity government led by Bozize and an opposition-backed prime minister, CNN reported.

Bozize toppled the government of former President Ange-Felix Patasse in a 2003 uprising. He served as the top military official in the Patasse administration.