Russia

Launched in mid-May in Bangui, the film Tourist is now available on Russian broadcast platforms. Its goal: to praise the Russian intervention in the CAR and the "instructors" sent by Moscow to support President Faustin-Archange Touadéra against the rebels of the CPC (Coalition of Patriots for Change). A film halfway between fiction, reality and propaganda, which would be funded directly by the Wagner group according to the Russian press,…

Sudan has begun a review of an agreement to build a Russian naval base after certain clauses proved "slightly harmful", a military official said. For decades, Sudan has been militarily dependent on Russia for crippling sanctions imposed by Washington against the now-ousted President Omar al-Bashir. But since he crashed in 2019, Sudan has moved closer to the United States, removing Khartoum from its crippling blacklist last year. "This deal was signed under the previous National Salvation Government,"…

In an interview with the Journal du Dimanche (JDD), published this weekend, French President Emmanuel Macron spoke about the anti-French sentiment in the Central African Republic, which he said was being exploited by a private military group linked to Russia. A reference to the private military company Wagner, a group that has no legal existence but has close ties to the Kremlin, say observers and whose…

Within the Central African Republic, the Minister of Nationwide Protection and Rebuilding of the Military despatched a message to the UN Safety Council outlining its intention to make one other 600 Russian instructors out there to the Protection and Safety Forces. The UN Council Decision, which has been in power since December…

In Chad, three weeks after Idriss Deby's loss of life on a battlefield, many are questioning concerning the function of Marshal Haftar's Libyan and Vladimir Putin's Russians within the insurgent offensive that was deadly for the Chadian president. Was there a Benghazi and Moscow conspiracy in opposition to Ndjamena? Was it additionally the need to weaken Paris? And why didn't Paris reply? Jalel Harchaoui is a researcher on the NGO World Initiative, primarily based in Geneva. He solutions the questions from Christophe…

Valery Zakharov, President Touadera's highly influential adviser on internal security, responded on Friday to comments from RFI by Mankeur Ndiaye, head of Minusca in the Central African Republic. Back from Russia, the latter declared on our airwaves that Moscow agreed to cooperate in the UN inquiry opened to allegations of abuses committed by Russian paramilitaries in the Central African Republic. These…

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls on the Bangui authorities to restore access to two Central African news sites, which have been suspended since February last year, by decision of the Minister of Post and Telecommunications. These are the "Corbeaux News" and "Le Tsunami" websites. In a statement dated February 16, which RFI…

The UN expert group on mercenaries is sounding the alarm about serious "human rights violations" that can be attributed to Russian paramilitaries in the Central African Republic, and experts condemn the authorities' increased use of private security companies in Bangui, which has been the target of a new uprising since December. They also deplore the "close contacts" that the Central African Army and in…

The Russian security company Wagner Group is known for its heavy presence in war-torn Libya and is reportedly expanding across the African continent, interfering in conflicts and working for the Kremlin's interests. The Wagner Group was formed in 2014 in Ukraine and is owned by businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin, and is intensely involved in several conflicts, not only in Ukraine but also around the world, from the Middle East to Latin America. However, the group's most famous presence has taken place in…

Before the military coup in the middle of a challenge to Ibrahim Boubacar Keita's regime, the demonstrations followed each other with overflows in the protesters and also a murderous repression by the police. Minusma examined in detail what was really going on these days, from 10 to 13 July. She has just published her findings.…