- In an unprecedented development, France has suspended its financial support and military cooperation with the Central African Republic.
- Relations have deteriorated due to allegations that the CAR is reneging on its political commitments and participating in a Russian-backed campaign against the French presence in Africa.
In an unprecedented development, France has suspended its financial support and military cooperation with the Central African Republic. Relations have deteriorated due to allegations that the CAR is reneging on its political commitments and participating in a Russian-backed campaign against the French presence in Africa. The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that ten million euros in budgetary aid to the Central African government would be suspended until further notice; this aid was used to pay civil servants. However, French humanitarian aid and projects benefiting the Central African population, amounting to approximately six million euros, will continue.
A source at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that France has been deliberately targeted by a vast disinformation campaign in the CAR. French reports indicate that Russia is behind this campaign, with the complicity of Central Africans. France also accuses the CAR of failing to honor its political commitments. President Faustin-Archange Touadéra, elected last December, had committed to France and other European partners to open a dialogue with the opposition, which had rejected the election results. On the contrary, many opposition members are detained, including opposition MP Anicet-Georges Dologuele, who was reportedly denied permission to leave the CAR for France in March.
Five French military advisors have been recalled to France, and the training of Central African armed forces by French troops stationed in Gabon was recently suspended. Approximately one hundred French soldiers who are part of the European Union force EUTM-RCA, which trains the Central African army, as well as troops participating in the UN peacekeeping mission, will continue to remain in the country. Since 2018, Russia has increased its presence in the CAR, when it sent weapons and instructors to train the army. NGOs and activists denounce the presence of mercenaries from the Wagner Group, a secretive Russian security company, in the CAR. The United Nations has also expressed concerns regarding the role of the Wagner Group and other Russian security companies in the CAR.