Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: Arms Embargo: The UN Security Council on June 30th lifted the arms embargo on Central African Republic (CAR) government forces, while calling on all nations to take measures to prevent the direct or indirect supply of all types of weapons and related materiel to armed groups operating there. The arms embargo was established in 2013 against the backdrop of a brutal intercommunal conflict, when the predominantly Muslim Seleka rebels seized power leading to the mostly Christian militias fighting back. (PANA 31/7) Rwanda-trained Troops: The armed forces have welcomed 634 new soldiers following seven months of training with the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF), the privately owned Taarifa website reported (6/8). The report said that during the pass-out parade at the Camp Kassai military base in Bangui, President Faustin Archange Touadera praised the “robust military partnership” between the two countries and thanked his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, for his “unwavering support”. (BBC Monitoring 6/8) Arms from Russia: The CAR has signed an agreement with the Russian government on the delivery of arms and other military equipment, NGO-sponsored station Radio Ndeke Luka reported (17/8). CAR Defence Minister Rameaux-Claude Bireau said after attending the “Army 2024 Forum” in Moscow, which took place on August 12th-14th, that several shipments were expected. The agreement also covers the maintenance of military equipment supplied by Russia. Bireau praised the “very beneficial” ties between the two countries. The Russian Africa Corps, formerly the Wagner Group, continues to play a key role in maintaining Touadera's grip on power. Wagner mercenaries first arrived in CAR in 2018 as military instructors, before they were deployed in 2021 alongside the country's security forces to counter the rebels threatening to depose Touadera. (BBC Monitoring 13,17/8) Djibouti Deployment: French forces in Djibouti have trained the country's national gendarmerie forces ahead of their planned 2025 deployment to the CAR under the aegis of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in the Central African Republic (Minusca), state-run Djibouti News Agency (ADI) reported on August 24th. The soldiers honed their skills in setting up checkpoints, protecting sensitive sites, escorting military convoys and high-ranking authorities as well as carrying out combat rescue operations, searches and countermining, the report said. (BBC Monitoring 24/8)
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W4402479110