The Kremlin says that the operations of the Wagner Group in RCA “are their business” and defends its cooperation with Bangui

June 28 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The Kremlin has highlighted this Wednesday that Russia will keep its “military advisers” in the Central African Republic (RCA) and has said that the operations of the Wagner Group in the country “are their business”, after the rebellion carried out over the weekend by the head of this private mercenary company, Yevgeni Prigozhin.

“We have state-level cooperation with RCA. We will maintain it. It is supported by the necessary agreements,” Russian Presidency spokesman Dimitri Peskov said, according to the Russian news agency TASS.

Thus, he stressed that “the military advisers will continue their activities in the number necessary and requested (by the Central African authorities), before adding that” the companies (associated with the Wagner Group) have an independent business there (in Africa). and the state has nothing to do with it.”

Peskov’s words have come in light of doubts about the status of the thousands of members of the Wagner Group deployed in African countries –mainly RCA and Mali– after the Prigozhin rebellion resulted in an agreement for their integration into the Armed forces.

In addition, they come hours after the United States imposed sanctions on four entities and one individual in Africa over allegations of alleged illegal transactions to finance the Wagner Group, which it accused of “exploiting insecurity around the world” and “committing atrocities.” .

At the end of May, the RCA authorities expressed their interest in hosting a Russian military base on their territory, within the framework of strengthening ties between the two countries. The RCA ambassador in Moscow, Leon Dodonu-Punagaza, stated that the presence of “Russian military instructors” has improved the combat capabilities of the Central African Armed Forces in their fight with the rebel Patriots for Change Coalition (CPC).

The Central African president, Faustin-Archange Touadéra, has defended on several occasions this cooperation with Moscow to support the operations of the and has denied that they are mercenaries from the Wagner Group, whose presence in African countries has aroused suspicion among several Western countries, especially the United States. United States and France, due to Moscow’s involvement in various conflicts on the continent.

RCA has been plunged into a crisis as a result of the elimination of the candidacy of former president Franois Bozizé, who returned to the country at the end of 2019 to once again be a candidate for the Presidency, a position he abandoned in 2014 due to the uprising of the rebels in Séléka, predominantly Muslim. Finally, Touadéra was re-elected amid complaints from the opposition.