CAR officials say 300 rebels disarm as country tries to organize local elections

FILE - United Nations peacekeepers stand in the market in Bouar, Central African Republic, March 8, 2024. Nearly 5,000 fighters have put down their arms in Central African Republic since a disarmament program launched nearly a decade ago.

Officials in the Central African Republic say at least 300 rebels have dropped their weapons in the past month in an operation jointly organized by United Nations peacekeeping forces and government troops. Yet, while a total of about 5,000 fighters have put down their arms in the past decade, peace seems to elude the troubled nation.