Johannesburg, Jan 29 (AP) The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Central African Republic says 18 civilians are dead and 23 wounded after an armed group opened fire during a funeral ceremony.

The statement on Tuesday says the gunmen with the Union for Peace armed group carried out the overnight attack on Friday in the central town of Ippy.

The peacekeeping mission condemns "this terrible massacre" that occurred as a new round of peace talks on Central African Republic began in Sudan.

Central African Republic, one of the world's poorest nations, has faced interreligious and inter-communal fighting since 2013. The violence has intensified and spread in recent months.

The 13,500-strong UN peacekeeping mission has struggled to protect civilians and contain the fighting since its arrival in 2014. (AP) SCY

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)