Central African Republic-An Angry Peace.

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

An Angry Peace

Central African Republic on Wednesday formally inked a peace agreement with 14 rebel groups that had been announced earlier. But the deal has raised concerns that it rewards the warring factions rather than meting out punishment.

The peace deal, known as the Khartoum Agreement because it was negotiated in Sudan, is believed to call for incorporating representatives of the rebel groups into the government, the Associated Press reported.

“We are shocked because we see our authorities jubilant alongside our executioners,” said Yannick Nalimo, a journalist and blogger. “The people do not want these people, who put the country down and stripped us bare, to come back and manage the affairs of the state.”

Others are upset by reports that the agreement will end the prosecutions of soldiers accused of human rights abuses during the five-year conflict, which has killed thousands and displaced hundreds of thousands.

Such concerns aside, pragmatism suggests some kind of accommodation was necessary, as armed groups currently control around 80 percent of the country, fighting to control the trade in gold, diamonds and uranium.