Central African Republic‘s newly elected president Faustin Archange Touadera took the oath of office, ushering in the first elected leader since Muslim rebels overthrew the government more than three years ago.

• The inauguration came as former coloniser France said its troops plan to leave the country by the end of the year.
• The French forces worked to stabilize the long volatile country until a United Nations peacekeeping force was in place, though both missions have been tarnished by allegations of child sexual abuse.
• Touadera, a former math professor and prime minister, emerged from a crowded field of candidates and won the February 14 runoff with nearly 63 percent of the vote.
• Both Touadera and the runner-up candidate, Anicet Georges Dologuele, are Christians and campaigned on promises to help reunify the country plagued by sectarian violence that exploded in late 2013 between Muslim and Christian militias.
• Touadera’s presidency puts an end to a two-year transitional government that came into force in early 2014.
• The Muslim rebel leader who had seized power by force the year before stepped aside under mounting international pressure after his fighters were accused of carrying out scores of atrocities particularly against Christian civilians.

The Central African Republic saw a 36 percent drop in its gross domestic product in 2013. The economy has slowly clawed back since then, but the agricultural sector — the chief contributor to GDP — is still grappling and the government is struggling to raise revenues.