The agreement signed by the rebel alliance Seleka and President of the Central African Republic (CAR), Francois Bozize, has subdued the recent conflicts there and brought relative calm to the city of Bangui.

The ceasefire deal, engineered by the regional bloc, calls for Bozize to dissolve the current government so that a transitional unity government can be formed, but allows Bozize to stay in office until his term ends in 2016. He will not be eligible to run in the country's next presidential election. It is hoped that this will bring stability to the country after years of turmoil. Despite signing the ceasefire agreement, tensions between the president and the rebels remain high. Bozize has been accused of reneging a similar deal signed in 2008.

Bozize, a former military general, took power over the CAR through a coup in 2003. Four years later, he cut a deal with rebels to disarm in exchange for jobs in the military. But the rebels' patience ran out in December last year after Bozize failed to uphold his end of the bargain.

The rebels formed Seleka, an alliance made up of some 1,000 fighters, and aim to oust Bozize for reneging on the deal. The alliance has factions with many different ideologies, and it remains to be seen if they will all be comfortable in the unity government that they are forming. The agreement calls for a prime minister chosen by the country's political opposition to lead the transitional government until parliamentary elections are held to form a new national assembly.

In Central Africa, rebellions are relatively common due to the vast supply of natural resources found in the area - diamonds, gold, uranium and timber. Diamonds account for 40 percent of the region's exports, while timber accounts for 16 percent. Yet revenues are not passed on to the people, who are calling for an end to corruption and wish for the security to do business and build a better life. The World Bank reports that in 2011, Central Africans had a life expectancy of only 48 years old.

Addressing the rebels' demands will be key to the agreement's success. The government will have to improve the economy to create jobs for the rebels, restructure the military and build infrastructure.

The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund currently rate the CAR among the poorest countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. Their data shows that almost two thirds of the CAR's population live below the poverty line. Barely able to collect enough taxes to cover its needs, the CAR is mostly dependent on aid and loans.

With an unskilled labor force and up to 40 percent of the nation's teachers having received no formal training (most of these teachers are employed directly by students' parents), the nation's quest to have 100 percent enrollment in primary schools has so far failed - only 58 percent of the population has access to education. The 2010 UNDP Human Development Report ranks CAR near the bottom of its Human Development Index (159th out of 162 countries) and states that the nation is unlikely to meet its development goals.

The country has also seen periodic skirmishes over water and grazing rights between pastoral populations along the border with South Sudan, keeping the CAR's security forces busy. It was therefore no surprise when Bozize called for help from America and France.

"We ask our French cousins and the United States of America, the great powers, to help us to push back the rebels," he said. But instead, the United States closed its embassy, leaving only a skeleton staff. France, which controlled the territory that became the CAR in 1960, rebuffed the beleaguered Bozize, saying the conflict was an internal matter for CAR to deal with.

"If we are present, it is not to protect a regime, it is to protect our nationals and our interests, and in no way to intervene in the internal affairs of a country. Those days are gone," said French President Hollande, alluding to the 250 French troops in the CAR.

Negotiations in the ceasefire deal will no doubt be dragged out over the next month or two as both Seleka and Bozize attempt to secure more concessions. Observers say Seleka is likely to keep pressure on Bozize by conducting periodic raids outside Bangui.

History is not on Bozize's side. The CAR has been unstable and endured several coups since gaining independence from France in 1960. But he has two years until the end of his term. In this time he will need to work hard to improve the lives of his people and maintain a compromise with the rebels. CA

(Joel Nakitare is a part-time Information Science Lecturer at Inoorero University, and the University Librarian at the Regina Pacis University College. Nairobi, Kenya)