00:00The fate of the UN peacekeepers in the Central African Republic is being decided this Thursday
00:04in New York. The UN Security Council must decide on renewing MINUSCA's mandate, which expires this
00:10weekend. On the table, a gradual drawdown of the peacekeeping mission. Deployed in 2014 in the
00:18midst of civil war, MINUSCA has already begun scaling back its presence. Between January and
00:24June, it closed or handed over 21 of its bases. It still has nearly 10,000 troops and 2,000
00:32police officers. The situation on the ground has improved, but several armed groups remain
00:37active, particularly in the border areas with Chad, Sudan and the DRC. In the southeast,
00:44attacks attributed to remnants of the Lord's Resistance Army are said to have killed four
00:48people between June and September. Around 68 civilians, including 40 children, are reported
00:55to have been abducted. The Central African President is calling for a gradual withdrawal.
