Russia sends troops to Central African Republic

Instability is growing in the Central African Republic as next Sunday's general elections draw near and the presence of armed militias can be felt in the towns of Yaloké and Bossembelé, several hundred kilometres from the capital. Some local sources recognise them as anti-Balaka militias, which could come from Bossangoa, the fiefdom where former Central African president François Bozizé is located.

In view of the concern about a new wave of violence, countries like Rwanda and, above all, Russia, have announced they are sending troops to protect the position of current President Faustin Archange Touadéra and his interests. In the case of Rwanda, the country has confirmed that it is sending several hundred troops in response to the attacks on the troops the country has deployed in the framework of MINUSCA, the United Nations mission on the ground, one of the largest. 

In the case of Russia, relations with the country have been fairly close for several years. Moscow and Bangui have signed several partnership agreements in the field of security, ranging from political advice to the training of Central African forces. The Russian Valery Zakharov is in Touadéra's inner circle. In return, Russian companies have gained access to the country's resources, under the security offered by the Russian company Wagner. The Kremlin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, has not recognised the sending of troops, but has indicated that they are monitoring the country's situation. The sending of Russian troops has been confirmed from Bangui by government spokesman Ange Maxime Kazagui.

Bozizé, who left power in 2013 amid the Séléka rebellion in the north of the country, was in exile until exactly one year ago when he announced he was returning to the capital to presumably contest the elections for the current president, Faustin Archange Touadéra. However, the Constitutional Court annulled his candidature in addition to that of other politicians, leaving the list of candidates at 17. Bozizé accepted the decision, but his connection with the armed groups that have just emerged would show that he seeks to interfere in the results as far as possible.

The former Central African president and his party, the Kwa Na Kwa, are part of the opposition coalition COD-2020, but the lack of a consensus candidate weakens their chances of victory. This is precisely what Bozizé stressed, and after his candidacy was rejected he called on the coalition to reach a consensus on a candidate who has real options and a stable economic situation to withstand the election campaign. However, the request was rejected by the other parties, which have decided to keep their own candidates.

The Touadéra government accuses Mr Bozizé of the presence of these militias, something that was shared by the public prosecutor, Éric Didier Tambo, who pointed out that Mr Bozizé was guilty of recruiting soldiers to attempt a coup d'état in the country. 

The United Nations has stated that the situation is under control in the area where the clashes with the militias have taken place and that their progress towards the capital has been halted. MINUSCA has maintained more than 12,000 troops in the country since 2014.