YAOUNDE, July 23 (Xinhua) -- At least 178 rebels in the Central African Republic (CAR) have laid down their weapons and surrendered since July 13, an official of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) said on Wednesday.

Florence Marchal, spokesperson for MINUSCA, said two sites are currently hosting the ex-rebels: one in Maloum, Ouaka prefecture, and the other in the Koui region of Ouham-Pende prefecture.

"In Maloum, 112 former combatants of the UPC (Union for Peace in the CAR) armed group have been disarmed and demobilized since Sunday, July 13, while 100 individual and collective weapons and ammunition have been handed over," Marchal told a press conference in MINUSCA headquarters in Bangui, the CAR's capital.

"In Koui, 66 former combatants of the 3R (Return, Reclamation and Rehabilitation) armed group have been disarmed and demobilized since July 18, and 51 weapons have been collected," she added.

According to Marchal, the disarmament process was made possible after leaders of the UPC and the 3R rebel groups signed a peace agreement and announced the dissolution of their respective rebel groups, pledging to participate in the country's peace and reconciliation process.

The UPC and 3R were among six rebel groups that founded the Coalition of Patriots for Change (CPC) in 2020. The coalition was formed with the objective of toppling President Faustin-Archange Touadera after his re-election for a second term. The CPC was led by former CAR President Francois Bozize, who is currently in exile. ■