Monday, December 21, 2020
"Serious concern"
Russia sends soldiers to Central Africa
In the Central African Republic, a president and parliament will be elected on Sunday. A fallen ex-head of state is not allowed to run after a judgment. The government accuses him of attempting a coup and asks Russia for protection. The situation is tense.
Russia and Rwanda sent hundreds of soldiers to the Central African Republic ahead of the presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for Sunday. The news that arrived from the Central African Republic caused "serious concern," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. A march of armed rebels on the capital Bangui was stopped according to UN information. Armed groups control two thirds of the country, around a quarter of the 4.7 million inhabitants are on the run. "We are of course monitoring and analyzing the situation," said Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Peskov. However, he did not comment on the troop transfer reported by Bangui.
The Bangui government accuses former head of state François Bozizé of planning a coup. Bozizé denied this allegation. According to the government, Bozizé was most recently with fighters from the militia who had marched on Bangui. Russia has sent several hundred soldiers and heavy military equipment, said Central African government spokesman Ange Maxime Kazagui. The Rwandan troops are already involved in fighting. Private Russian security firms have also been deployed to protect President Faustin Archange Touadéra, who is running for re-election.
UN mission reports stable situation
The French presidential office said that the elections should be held according to plan to avoid a period of "uncertainty". The French Presidential Office did not receive any comments on the dispatch of troops from Russia and Rwanda. Russia has been heavily involved in the exchange for gold and diamond concessions in the former French colony of Central Africa since 2018.
The day before, a spokesman for the UN peacekeeping mission Minusca in Central Africa announced that the situation was "under control". The rebel groups had left the city of Yaloke, which is on one of the routes towards Bangui. They also fell back in two other areas.
The Minusca sent blue helmets to the city of Mbaiki, where there was fighting on Saturday to stop the advance of the rebels, the Minusca spokesman said. Three of the largest Central African militias were on Friday on roads that are essential for the supply of the capital. Therefore, the government feared a blockade in Bangui. The three rebel groups also announced that they had joined forces.
Court bans ex-president's candidacy
The rebel groups accuse President Touadéra of wanting to manipulate the elections. A complex conflict has been smoldering in the Central African Republic since a civil war. The Christian President Bozizé was overthrown in 2013 by the predominantly Muslim rebel group the Séléka. Thousands of people have been killed in fighting in recent years.
Bozizé returned from exile a year ago. He actually wanted to compete against Touadéra in a week's election and was considered its main competitor. The constitutional court forbade his candidacy. The reason given by the judges was UN sanctions imposed on Bozizé for allegedly supporting militias. Bozizé assured him that he accepted the judgment.
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