UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday congratulated on the "successful conclusion" of peace talks between the government of the Central African Republic and armed groups after they signed a peace deal.

"On the occasion of the signing of the Global Peace Agreement between the Government of the Central African Republic (CAR) and armed groups, on 6 February in Bangui, the secretary-general congratulates all stakeholders for the successful conclusion of the talks that took place in Khartoum, Sudan," Guterres' spokesperson said in a statement.

The UN chief commended the leadership role of the African Union in the talks, which were carried out with the support of the United Nations, the statement said, adding that he encouraged all stakeholders to live up to their commitments in the implementation period.

It said Guterres reiterated the United Nations' commitment to assisting the CAR at this critical stage, and called on neighboring countries, regional organizations and all international partners to support the "courageous steps that Central Africans have made to bring lasting peace and stability in their country."

Earlier on Wednesday, the government of CAR signed the deal in the CAR capital of Bangui with armed groups that control large areas of the country, aimed at ending more than five years of conflict.

The deal had been initialed in Khartoum on Tuesday after lengthy talks brokered by the African Union and supported by the United Nations.

The leaders of the two biggest armed groups, Ali Darassa of the Unity for Peace in CAR and Noureddine Adam of the Popular Front for the Renaissance of the CAR, initialed the text in Khartoum but were not present for Wednesday's signing. 

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