Mr. Dujarric made the following remarks at a press conference at the UN Headquarters in NY today (August 2, 2017):

"Our colleagues at the UN Mission in the Central African Republic tell us that they started an operation this week to remove armed fighters from Bangassou. As you know, Bangassou was the epicentre of inter-ethnic violence during the last couple of weeks, which resulted in the displacement of over 2,000 civilians and the killing of three UN peacekeepers.

The UN Mission has deployed temporary operating bases at strategic locations in the town and is conducting robust patrols to re-establish security and create a safe environment for internally displaced persons to return to their homes. The Mission had also reinforced its presence in Bangassou last week with troops from Bangladesh and Gabon."