According to the French newspaper Le Figaro** on December 26, the Central African Republic, which has so far relied on Moscow and Russia's Wagner mercenaries to provide military support, signed a new security agreement with the United States on the 24th. The country explained this by diversifying partnerships. Albert Yalokai Mokpeme, spokesman for the Central African Republic**, said: "The Central African Republic is diversifying its relations. The United States offered to "train its soldiers in Central Africa and on American soil," and Faustin-Archampe Touadera of the Central African Republic accepted the offer.
This statement by the Central African Republic confirms the rumors that were sparked a few days ago by an article by Radio France Internationale (RFI). RFI noted that employees of Bancroft Global Development, a private security company in the United States, are currently in Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic, to prepare for the group's long-term deployment.
A spokesman for the Central African Republic** government explained: "We are rebuilding the national army. As part of the reconstruction effort, we call on a number of partners, including the Russian Federation, Angola, Morocco and Guinea, to participate. "We will work with the armed forces and security forces as long as they help us rebuild our future, restore the full strength of the armed forces and security forces, and help us do that," he declared. ”
In fact, plans for closer relations between Washington and Bangui have been informal since the beginning of 2023, the report noted. In February, Le Monde reported that the Central African Republic** received a proposal from the United States during the U.S.-Africa summit in mid-December 2022. The United States gave Bangui 12 months to get rid of Russian mercenaries in exchange for a new security partnership arrangement.
Frédéric Le Geillard, an expert on Franco-African relations, said: "This is a manifestation of the Russian-American struggle for influence. In his opinion, cooperation with the Americans shows more "the limits of Wagner's presence in the country, on which the Bangui authorities spend millions of dollars a month," as well as the weakening of Wagner's strategy in Africa "after the death of Prigozhin." (Compiled by Lin Xiaoxuan).
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