The United Nations has officially taken over peacekeeping in the Central African Republic, as UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon made a fresh call for an “immediate end” to the violence in the country.

African-led peacekeeping forces (MISCA) transferred authority to the United Nations mission (MINUSCA) on Monday, with 5,000 African and 2,000 French troops stationed in the country.

The UN Secretary General called for "all Central African stakeholders to sustain their commitment to an inclusive political process to ensure the successful completion of the country's transition."

Minusca chief Gen Babacar Gaye of Senegal said,

"Our mission can be summed up in a triptych: to protect the population, back the political process and contribute to the restoration of the authority of the state."

Earlier this year, the UN Security Council authorised a force of 12,000 troops to be present in the country, leaving scope for a further 5,000 troops to be added to the current number. Peacekeeping forces have been mandated to operate through to April 30th 2015.

Commenting on the latest move, Steve Cockburn, Amnesty International's campaigns deputy regional director for West and Central Africa, said,

"The switch from AU to UN peacekeepers must be more than a cosmetic change: the swapping green berets for blue helmets. Instead it must serve as a fresh start for the peacekeeping operation in CAR.''

Calling for the extra 5,000 troops to be deployed as soon as possible, Cockburn went on to add,

"The gap between the number of peacekeepers promised and the number deployed must be urgently filled. Only once the full force is on the ground, undertaking patrols and protecting CAR's civilian population, can the UN properly fulfil its protection mandate."