PSC/PR/COMM(DCCXXXVII) Page 1 COMMUNIQUE The Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU), at its 737th meeting, held on 21 November 2017, considered the situation in the Central African Republic (CAR) and adopted the following decision: Council, 1. Takes note of the briefings made by the Commissioner for Peace and Security, Ambassador Smail Chergui and the Special Representative of the Chairperson of the Commission for CAR and Head of the AU Mission for the Central African Republic and Central Africa (MISAC), Mr. Nebie Bialializoun Moussa. Council also takes note of the statements made by the representative of the Republic of Gabon in its capacity as the current Chair of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), and by the Executive Secretary of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), as well as by the representatives of Egypt, in its capacity as an African Member of the United Nations Security Council, the General Secretariat of ECCAS, the United Nations (UN) and the European Union (EU); 2. CAR; Recalls all its previous communiqués and press statements on the situation in 3. Expresses deep concern over the continuing deterioration of the security situation in the CAR, particularly the continued attacks of armed groups against the civilian population, including targeted killings against particular communities and the troops of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA); 4. Also expresses deep concern about the devastating consequences of these violent actions on the fragile stabilization process in the country, and the cohesion between the communities within the CAR and the already dire humanitarian situation in the country; 5. Urges the armed groups and self-defense militias to put an immediate end to their violent actions, in order to facilitate the rapid restoration of State authority throughout the CAR national territory. In this regard, Council urges all CAR armed groups to engage resolutely in the DDR programmes and the overall peace process underway in the country; 6. Welcomes the open-mindedness and outstretched hand demonstrated by President Faustin-Archange Touadera, through the discussions he has initiated with the