International donors pledged on Nov 17 to grant the Central African Republic, a poor country with a population of 4.5 million, $2.2 billion of aid over the next three years to help the country revive its economy and recover the stability it lost to the recent war.

The announcement came from the nation’s President himself Faustin-Archange Touadéra and the European Union (EU) at the Brussels Donors conference.

“The conference kept its promise fully,” Mr. Touadéra told a press conference revealing a $2.268 billion figure for the aid. This tops $1.6 billion he expected for the next three years. Before the conference, the Central African Republic President said he eyed $3.1 billion over five-years.

Central African Republic has fallen into chaos in March 2013 after Francois Bozizé’s regime was toppled by the Muslim rebel coalition, the Seleka. Exactions committed by the coalition’s soldiers against the population which is mostly Christian led to the formation of anti-balaka self-defense militia, starting the infernal cycle of interfaith violence.

Despite the many peace agreements signed by the two parties last year, conflicts persist. Thousands dies to them and hundreds of thousands fled their homes and country.