WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department says it’s reopening The U.S. embassy in the Central African Republic.

The U.S. evacuated the facility in Bangui, suspended operations and urged Americans to leave in December 2012 because of sectarian violence that left thousands of people dead.

The U.N. has stationed peacekeepers in the country, and Secretary of State John Kerry said in statement Monday progress has been made at putting the nation on “a path toward peace and stability.”

Kerry says the U.S. is giving the Central African Republic an additional $28 million in humanitarian aid, bringing the U.S. total to $145 million this year. Kerry made the announcement in Paris where he’s participating in an international conference on finding a strategy to combat Islamic State militants.

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