The president of the Central African Republic, Faustin Archange Touadéra, is plainly having fun waving to the audience in Bangui while being well guarded by Russian mercenaries and Rwandan peacekeepers.
This French-trained professor of pure mathematics, who was unexpectedly elected in the midst of a civil conflict in 2016, has gone from being a rather hesitant technocrat vowing to bring about peace to a self-assured head of state in just seven years.
The 66-year-old man who held the position of prime minister from 2008 to 2013 under President François Bozizé is still holding onto power. His enemies refer to him as “President Wagner” in honor of the private Russian firm that backs his government.
Mr. Touadéra now has the chance to run for a third term as president of the country in 2025, something he was not permitted to do under the previous fundamental law, despite harsh criticism from his opponents who claim he wants to be “president for life” following Monday’s announcement that a new constitution had been approved in a referendum – by an overwhelming majority.
In the Central African Republic, one of the world’s poorest nations, he might hold office for 16 years if re-elected in two years.
He appears to be at best a “prisoner” of foreigners, at worst a “hostage” of Wagner’s “predatory Russian mercenaries” due to his unstable regime, which is challenged by a rebellion and prevented from falling into anarchy by the large intervention of Russian mercenaries in 2020.In May 2021, he was condemned by French President Emmanuel Macron in the latter words. Since the Central African Republic’s independence in 1960, Moscow has gained the majority of the military and economic sway that the former colonial power once held over that country.
- Predation
He appears to be at best a “prisoner” of foreigners, at worst a “hostage” of Wagner’s “predatory Russian mercenaries” due to his unstable regime, which is challenged by a rebellion and prevented from falling into anarchy by the large intervention of Russian mercenaries in 2020.In May 2021, he was condemned by French President Emmanuel Macron in the latter words. Since the Central African Republic’s independence in 1960, Moscow has gained the majority of the military and economic sway that the former colonial power once held over that country.
- Predation
The UN peacekeeping force on the ground (Minusca) has been unable to stop the scourge of guerrilla warfare in the countryside since 2020, and the UN and NGOs frequently accuse Russian rebels, soldiers, and mercenaries of committing atrocities against civilians.
Nevertheless, Mr. Touadéra is hailed as the “man of peace” by his admirers. In 2019, he reached an agreement with 14 armed groups in Khartoum, integrating their leaders and cadres into the government or administration in exchange for their support and the disarmament of their militias. They are grateful to him for restoring security over a significant portion of the country and for these actions.
FAT, however, had to deal with the many clans and movements of everyone who supported him in the second round in order to build a majority in the National Assembly right from the start of his first term in office.He finally succeeded in bringing them together in 2018 when he founded his Mouvement Coeurs Unis (MCU).
several warlords who are very close to the Russians or who are “in business” with them in several areas have taken him prisoner since he has attracted many wolves to his cause. All of this heightens the sense of predatory behavior as the state’s coffers become dry.
The embargo
His regime claims that it was forced to choose by the international world. Despite the fact that the rebels are easily supplied in the area, the UN had put a stringent arms embargo on the nation. On July 27, however, it was loosened by excluding weapons meant for government forces. Bangui, which demanded that the embargo be lifted totally with the backing of China and Russia, viewed this decision as a “affront.”
Mr. Touadéra, a native of Damara, 60 kilometers north of Bangui, enjoyed some popularity in the international community before Wagner behaved as though he were on conquered territory in the capital or in the mineral-rich regions. He had gallantly taken the helm of a failed state and a nation that had been torn apart by war.
However, some local specialists claim that after feeling “abandoned,” he eventually turned to Moscow and developed into a political animal. For them, Mr. Touadéra uses duality as his principal political tool, alternately being silent and grinning.
Charles Bouessel, senior consultant for the International Crisis Group (ICG) think tank, claims that the president’s style of governing is saying “yes” to everyone while refraining from making any decisions in the open.
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