|Area:||622,436 sq km (240,324 sq mi)|
|Population||(2000 est.): 3,513,000|
|Chief of state:||President Ange-Félix Patassé|
|Head of government:||Prime Minister Anicet Georges Dologuélé|
The remaining 430 members of the UN Mission in the Central African Republic, an approximately 1,350-strong peacekeeping operation, withdrew from the Central African Republic on Feb. 15, 2000, some four months after it had originally been scheduled to complete its withdrawal. Conditions in the capital remained tense, however, exacerbated by a growing fuel shortage, a wave of violent crime, and rumours that the army was poised to overthrow the government. In early July opposition parties demanded the resignation of Pres. Ange-Félix Patassé and the establishment of a government of national unity. In response, Patassé announced plans to facilitate a reconciliation by bringing together representatives of the various political and economic factions, but a conference date was not announced. In December thousands of civil servants went on strike in Bangui protesting against 29 months of unpaid salaries.
On January 10 the government of the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo accused authorities in the Central African Republic of allowing Ugandan-backed rebels the use of its territory as a staging point for guerrilla raids. Following a regional summit of the Community of Sahelian-Saharan States in February, the Central African Republic and 10 other members signed a security charter that would guarantee each of them territorial integrity. Prime Minister Anicet Dologuélé headed a delegation to the UN on May 15–16 and met with representatives of donor governments and nongovernmental organizations to discuss rescue efforts for the country’s battered economy. The priorities identified were reform of security forces, reduction in the size of the army, and expansion of the country’s economic base. Donors agreed to provide aid of $33 million, an amount considered far below the country’s immediate needs.