France on Monday formally ended its peacekeeping mission in the former French colony of Central African Republic (CAR), the theatre of bloody clashes between rival militias.




"The page has been turned," French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said at a ceremony at the CAR capital of Bangui attended by local officials and foreign diplomats. France launched the mission, called Operation Sangaris, in December 2013 to buttress 12,000 UN troops sent to stabilise the country.