General elections will be held in the Central African Republic in December, according to a statement released Friday by the prime minister's office.

Originally, local elections were scheduled for the end of August, but Prime Minister Felix Moloua announced that they will be postponed and held alongside legislative and presidential elections in December.

Speaking at the meeting of the strategic committee for electoral support, in the capital, Bangui, Moloua said the decision aims to streamline the electoral calendar and make better use of the resources allocated for organizing the polls.

On Friday, the Autorité Nationale des Elections (ANE), the country's national electoral commission, said that more than 2.39 million voters had registered, significantly higher than the number recorded ahead of the 2020 presidential election which was won by President Faustin-Archange Touadéra.

Rebel groups commit to working toward lasting peace

A day earlier, on Thursday, two rebel leaders announced the dissolution of their armed movements, pledging to join the country&039;s peace and reconciliation process.

According to a statement by the Ministry of Communication and Media, during a ceremony in Bangui presided over by President Touadera, Ali Darass, the leader of the Union for Peace in the CAR (UPC), and Sembe Bobo, the leader of the Return, Reclamation and Rehabilitation (3R) group, laid down their arms and committed to working toward lasting peace.

The two were among five rebel groups that founded the Coalition of Patriots for Change (CPC) in 2020. The coalition led by former CAR President Francois Bozize, who is currently in exile. In December 2020, CAR’s constitutional court invalidated five candidatures including Bozizé who returned to the country the previous year. At the time, Bozizé was, among others, accused of trying to sabotage the December 2020 election process after he was not permitted to stand for election.

In April, peace agreements were signed between the CAR government and the rebel factions in neighbouring Chad, which acted as mediator in the negotiations.

Touadera said the gesture by the rebel leaders has given "the best of hope" in the country.

"I urged all leaders and militants of armed groups to firmly adhere to the peace process in view of participating in the development of our dear fatherland," he said.

Since 2014, Rwanda is one of the largest troop - military and police - contributors to the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA).

Rwandan peacekeepers provide security for high-ranking government officials and key state installations.