Russian military activities in Central Africa Rep

Sudden Russian interest in the resource-rich Central African Republic (CAR—the former French colony of Oubangui-Chari) has raised questions regarding Moscow’s intentions in the violence-plagued nation (see EDM, April 30).

As much as 80 percent of the CAR is not under government control. A new burst of violence earlier this month included attacks on churches and mosques, resulting in 19 dead and over 100 wounded (News24.com, May 3). Thousands have been killed and nearly half a million people displaced since 2013. Fighting has escalated since the French ended a three-year military mission (Operation Sangaris) in October 2016. The operation, the seventh French military intervention in the CAR, ended amidst accusations of sexual violence by French troops, though Paris pledged to keep 350 soldiers inside the CAR as a “tactical reserve” while remaining ready to intervene with a larger force “at very short notice” (France24.com, Deutsche Welle, October 31, 2016). Responsibility for security was turned over to the Mission multidimensionnelle intégrée des nations unies pour la stabilisation en Centrafrique (MINUSCA), a 13,000-man United Nations peacekeeping mission, which has struggled to restore order while being accused of large-scale sexual abuse of local women.

Deeply impoverished, the CAR endured massive exploitation by Chadian Muslims in the 19th century, French imperialists in the 19th century and neo-colonialists working with corrupt CAR politicians since independence in 1960.

Russia appears ready to join this game, exchanging arms and cash for access to oil, minerals, strategic bases and rare earths—materials vital to modern electronics but a market almost entirely dominated by China. Moscow is trying to trade on Russia’s lack of colonial history in Africa (overlooking failed attempts to establish Russian colonies in the 19th century), its Cold War assistance to various bastions of Marxism there, and its military performance in Syria.


The CAR has been under a UN arms embargo since civil war broke out in 2013. Pleas from President Faustin Archange Touadéra for arms and training to reinvigorate the shattered CAR military found a sympathetic ear in Moscow last year. An exemption to the embargo was granted only after Russia agreed to supply secure storage and serial numbers for the weapons. The United States, United Kingdom and France were concerned the arms could disappear soon after delivery; the armories were looted in 2013, and weapons belonging to the Forces armées centrafricaines (FACA) have a habit of turning up on the black market. Aside from Russian arms supplies, the UN embargo has been renewed through to February 2019. The exemption allowed CAR chief-of-staff Firmin Ngrebada and special advisor Fidèle Gouandjika to arrange an agreement for arms and training with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, signed in Sochi on October 9, 2017. Ngrebada, nicknamed “Foccart,” after Jacques Foccart (1913–1997), the French special advisor on African affairs in the 1960s and 1970s, insists it was France’s President Emmanuel Macron who sent the CAR delegates to Russia after a French attempt to supply FACA with arms seized off Somalia failed following Russian objections (Jeune Afrique, May 3; CorbeauNews, January 16).
Among the weapons delivered this year are 900 Makarov pistols, 5,200 Kalashnikov assault rifles, 140 sniper rifles, 840 Kalashnikov PK 7.62-millimeter machine guns, 270 rocket-propelled grenade launchers, 20 man-portable anti-air defense systems, hand grenades, mortars and millions of rounds of ammunition (The Nation, December 14, 2017). Russian weaponry and parts are compatible with what Soviet-era arms remain in the CAR armories. The weapons are intended for use by two battalions (1,300 men) of FACA trained by the European Training Mission (EUTM RCA), beginning in mid-2016. Training was initially inhibited by a shortage of arms. EUTM’s mandate is expected to be renewed in September.

While the Russian arms are a donation rather than a sale, the Sochi agreement contains provisions for Russian exploitation of minerals, resources and energy sources as well as the development of infrastructure and enhanced commercial relations (Defenceweb.co.za, February 19; RT, April 3). Though the French ambassador to the CAR, Christian Bader, has stated France does not perceive a problem with the Russian military agreement, France has traditionally resented the intrusion of other countries into its African “backyard” (CorbeauNews, April 21). One French diplomat has complained of the “shameless” bribes paid by the Russians for access to CAR governing bodies (Le Monde, April 23). Russians in civilian garb have also appeared in poor neighborhoods of Bangui, handing out various essentials (RFI, April 25). Local reports suggest that among the newly arrived Russians are disinformation experts who have started an anti-French media campaign (Mondeafrique.com, May 9).

The Russians are reported to have had talks with the Russian-educated former Séléka rebel leader and CAR president Michael Djotodia (2013–2014), though Ngrebada says he has no reason to doubt the sincerity of his new Russian friends (Jeune Afrique, May 3). Witnesses also described a Russian Cesna aircraft with three or four Russian soldiers visiting the compounds of Muslim rebel leaders Nourredine Adam and Abdoulaye Hissene in northern CAR (Monde Afrique, May 4; RFI, May 1). During Operation Sangaris, the French made similar efforts to contact rebel leaders and persuade them to refrain from attacking Bangui; Russian intentions are still unknown, but may have something to do with threats of a rebel “march on Bangui” in response to the military cooperation with Russia (L’Obs, May 5). Russian interest in the rebel-occupied goldfields of northeastern CAR may provide another reason.

The 175 Russian trainers have established a base at Béréngo palace, the abandoned home of CAR “emperor” Jean-Bédel Bokassa (1966–1979). Only five of this group are members of the Russian Army; most of the others are mercenaries working for private Russian military contractors (Le Monde, April 23). The palace’s 100 acres are only 35 miles from Bangui and include a firing range and an airstrip that can easily be expanded and modernized to handle large Russian aircraft, enabling the Russians to avoid using the French-controlled airport in Bangui. One estimate suggests there are now 1,400 armed Russians in the CAR, most of them employees of private military contractor Sewa Security Services (Le Tchadantrhropus Tribune, May 14).


Some 40 members of the Russian Special Forces have been assigned as a security detail for President Touadéra, work formerly done by Libyans, Chadian mercenaries or, most recently, Rwandans attached to MINUSCA. Valeri Zakarov, a Kremlin insider, is the new presidential security advisor. The CAR’s presidency is now concerned that the military agreement with Russia will encourage Western attempts to overthrow Touadéra, encouraging even greater reliance on Russian security personnel.

There is something deeply unsettling about seeing a white man posing for pictures, surrounded by young African children calling for help, in the 21st century.

Last year, I covered the visit of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to the Central African Republic (CAR). This year, we followed Jan Egeland from the Norwegian Refugee Council.

One called the CAR a forgotten conflict, the other a neglected one. Both visits were about pretty much the same thing: drawing attention to a country largely ignored by the international community spiralling into sectarian violence and on the verge of a humanitarian conflict in need of more help.

These calls for help had in most part fallen on deaf ears. Promises made were broken.

The United Nations said it needs nearly $516m to help the 2.5 million people in CAR. So far, it has received a fraction of that amount, about $123m. What this means in practice is that people are going hungry. Security is deteriorating with armed groups continuing to fight, displacing people.

'Bystanders'

On November 14, the UN Security Council is expected to vote on renewing the humanitarian and peacekeeping mandate of the UN mission in the country.

"The UN's 12,000 troops have prevented the sectarian violence between Muslims and Christians from turning into a genocide," says Najat Rochdy, CAR's humanitarian coordinator.

But some diplomats and aid workers we spoke to accuse the UN peacekeepers of being mere bystanders to the conflict, with some even calling them "incompetent".

In April, UN troops stormed the Muslim neighbourhood of PK5 in the capital, Bangui, to arrest a local rebel commander who called himself General Force.

Heavily armed UN troops in armoured vehicles with aerial intelligence were overpowered by young men in flip-flops with Ak47s. Nineteen died and hundreds were injured, mostly locals.

General Force was unscathed.

West, UN fail

France, the former colonial power, is now on the retreat. They intervened when Muslim Seleka fighters took over control of Bangui in 2013. But after some of the soldiers were accused of sexual abuse, they left.

I met girls as young as 13 who said they were raped by French soldiers meant to protect them. Human rights organisations accused some of the troops of filming girls forced to have sex with dogs.

These crimes remain unpunished.

A court in France dropped the charges, saying there isn't enough evidence for prosecution. A lawyer in Bangui told me: "Imagine if African soldiers raped young children in Paris. Would the crimes remain unpunished?"

Since then, most of the French troops have gone. The ones left are UN peacekeepers and European soldiers in Bangui training a poorly equipped CAR army.

We saw UN and European troops on their day off, at the pool of the capital's Ledger Hotel, playing volleyball, drinking beer and listening to Eurythmics, while ordinary people in the city suffered a major water crisis, struggling to find water to drink.

The situation in the rest of the country is catastrophic. Fourteen militia groups fuel sectarian violence, forcing 1.2 million people to flee in search of a safe place to live.

Russia steps in

The UN-backed African Union peace talks have so far failed to stop the fighting. As the West remained complacent and aloof, ignoring the CAR, Russia stepped in.

At the request of President Faustin-Archange Touadera, Russian military instructors, including former soldiers who fought in Syria and Ukraine, are now in the CAR, helping the government regain control of the country.

The Russians recently opened a clinic in the rebel-held town of Bria. More of their military advisors are expected in the coming months.

Russia is supporting peace talks organised by Sudan in Khartoum to try and get armed groups around the table with the elected government.

The Russians are here in the CAR. And you won't see them at the pool of the Ledger Hotel, playing volleyball and drinking beer, or taking pictures with poor children.

Russia signs contract to dispatch military specialists to Republic of Congo

In particular, the contractconcerns the maintenance and operation of Soviet-and Russian-made military hardware in the inventory of the African republic

MOSCOW, May 23./TASS/. Russia and the Republic of the Congo have signed a contract to dispatch Russian military specialists to the African state. The ceremony of exchanging the documents took place at the Kremlin on Thursday in the presence of the two countries’ presidents, Vladimir Putin and Denis Sassou Nguesso.

Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin signed the contract from the Russian side.

Fomin told the journalists that the contract in the first place concerned the maintenance and operation of Soviet-and Russian-made military hardware in the inventory of the African republic. The bulk of this military hardware can remain in service for a very long time, the deputy defense minister said, mentioning armored vehicles, soft-skin vehicles, missile and conventional artillery as well as helicopters among other hardware.

Of course, it needs professional operation, servicing, maintenance and modernization, he said. "This hardware is safe, efficient, its tactical and technical characteristic are the best in the world," Fomin stressed, adding that the Thursday’s contract was mainly about this.

He explained that Russian specialists were going to the Republic of the Congo to train and help their Congolese colleagues in operating, servicing and repairing military hardware. "This is a new contract, but in general it continues a once started beautiful story under the name of ‘military and military-technical cooperation [of Russia and the Republic of the Congo]’. We are continuing it and are happy about this," Fomin said.

Russia and the Republic of the Congo are also engaged in negotiations on supplies of Russian military hardware to that African country, Fomin told journalists.

"Negotiations are underway. We expect to have a request on supplies of new hardware. It is necessary, our hardware has proved its effectiveness, including in Syria in fight against international terrorism, it has demonstrated its safety, reparability and high precision," Fomin said.

"This republic does have things to defend. It is rich, while the main treasure of any state is its independence and sovereignty," the deputy defense minister summed up.

Kremlin explains goals of Russian military specialists’ mission to Congo Republic

Russia and the Republic of the Congo earlier signed a contract to deploy Russian military specialists to the African country

MOSCOW, May 24. /TASS/. Russian military specialists will be deployed to the Republic of the Congo to see to the maintenance of the equipment Moscow provided to the country earlier, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

"These specialists will go there to help maintain military equipment provided to the Republic of the Congo earlier," he said. According to Peskov, with appropriate maintenance, it is possible to continue using many pieces of the equipment. "They will be sent there to maintain that equipment," he added.

Russia and the Republic of the Congo earlier signed a contract to deploy Russian military specialists to the African country. The ceremony of exchanging the signed documents took place at the Kremlin on Thursday in the presence of Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia and Denis Sassou Nguesso of the Republic of the Congo. Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin told reporters that Russian specialists would go to Africa to train their Congolese colleagues in the use, maintenance and repair of military hardware.