There are several thousand Rwandans in the Central African Republic (CAR), many of them in the capital, Bangui, but we hardly see them. “They are very discreet and live in a closed circle”, observes a Central African entrepreneur. However, over the past ten years, Rwanda has gradually become a leading player in the CAR, whether within the UN peacekeeping mission, in the entourage of the president, Faustin-Archange Touadéra, the head of local branches of international organizations (World Bank, United Nations Development Program, World Food Program, etc.) or in the private economic field. ” To this point, remarks a former European ambassador in Bangui, that we say that the CAR is a form of laboratory for the policy of Rwandan influence in Africa. »
A policy, a trademark of President Kagame, who launched his campaign for his – assured – re-election to a fourth term on Saturday June 22. It allows it to become essential, particularly among Westerners. In Mozambique, the other African country where the Rwandan military is deployed, their 2,500 men are responsible for securing Cabo Delgado (North), where there is a huge project by the French company TotalEnergies.
In the Central African Republic, it was in 2013 that Rwanda appeared on the scene for the first time. A few months earlier, the guerrillas of the Séléka, a predominantly Muslim rebel coalition, had just taken over a failing power by force. Eight hundred and fifty soldiers from the Rwanda Defense Forces (FDR) immediately landed in Bangui, within the International Support Mission for the Central African Republic (Misca) of the African Union which, the following year, was transformed into a UN mission, the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA).
This peace mission, the largest in the world in terms of personnel, has gradually become “Rwando-dependent”. Kigali is largely its largest contributor of uniformed personnel. As of March 31, 2024, Rwanda provided around 2,100 soldiers, 30 staff officers and more than 700 police officers within the Minusca police force, led since 2021 by a Rwandan commissioner, Christophe Kabango Bizimungu. That is, in total, nearly 20% of United Nations peacekeepers and police officers in the CAR. Kigali is also the fourth largest contributor to UN peace operations in the world (behind Nepal, India and Bangladesh).
You have 73.96% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.