The Faustin-Archange Touadéra will be invested on Tuesday, March 30, for a new five-year term at the helm of the Central African Republic. An investment that the authorities want “worthy and sober”, according to the government spokesman, while the country is still in the grip of the conflict started in December and the largest opposition coalition has not recognized the validation of the head of state. On Monday, foreign delegations began to arrive.
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With our special correspondent in Bangui, Florence Morice
Among the high-ranking personalities who arrived this Monday, March 29, in Bangui for nomination, the President of Burundi Évariste Ndayishimiye and two Prime Ministers, the Gabonese Rose Christiane Ossouka Raponda and the Cameroonian Joseph Dion Ngute. The presence of Rwandan President Paul Kagame was mentioned for a while. Recall that Rwanda sent reinforcement forces in December to help Central Africans fight the insurgency. But this Monday night, the name of the personality who will represent Kigali ultimately remained uncertain.
Russia is also militarily engaged with the Central African Republic and should be represented by its ambassador. On his Facebook page, however, the embassy announced that its Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called the re-elected head of state to congratulate him. On the French side, on the other hand, Foreign Minister Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne made the trip to mark this “important moment” and “France’s involvement in the country,” he said.
You have seen again in recent months how uncertain the situation was. And therefore it is important that there is a political solution that allows all Central Africans to recognize themselves in the action taken. There is no military solution, and besides, President Touadera told us that too, with these words. So our desire is for this dialogue to be fruitful, for it to allow Central Africans to develop under better conditions.
Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, French Foreign Minister
As for national politicians, on the other hand, the largest opposition coalition said on Monday that it would not send any representatives. “Because we do not recognize the legitimacy of this re-election,” explains Nicolas Tiangaye, his spokesman, and while the head of state has promised to initiate a major Republican dialogue in the coming weeks.
• Russian Ambassador to Bangui calls on former President François Bozizé to give up or be neutralized
This is the threat formulated by Vladimir Titorenko on Monday during a press conference. For him, the former head of state, now CPC Coordinator (Coalition of Patriots for Change) which launched an offensive against the Faustin-Archange Touadéra regime in December last year is facing an alternative.
Bozizé and the other leaders on the Security Council’s sanctions list must give up the fight against the government. If they continue their struggle, I can not rule out, during military operations, they will be neutralized by the armed forces of your country.
Vladimir Titorenko, Ambassador of Russia to Bangui
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