After six years of exile abroad, François Bozizé, who returned in mid-December 2019 on the sly to Bangui, announced on Saturday July 25 his candidacy for the presidential election in the Central African Republic.

"The congress has just appointed me candidate of Kwa Na Kwa in the next presidential election (...) I solemnly accept the mission that you entrust to me", he declared during a speech delivered in front of his supporters and broadcast live on Facebook.

Arrived by force at the head of the Central African Republic in 2003, this army general was overthrown ten years later by a coalition of rebel movements called the Séleka. 

This coup had plunged the country into a civil war, marked by violent community clashes between the Seleka and anti-balaka militias, which had emerged to support the ousted president.

François Bozizé is still sanctioned by the United Nations for his role in the 2013 crisis during which he is accused of having supported anti-balaka militias.

High-risk presidential ballot

The Central African Republic, one of the poorest countries in the world, has been ruled since 2016 by Félix Archange Touadera, likely candidate for re-election. 

This election, scheduled for December, is considered high risk: two-thirds of the country is still controlled by armed groups, despite a peace agreement signed in February 2019 in Khartoum between the government and 14 militias.

During his speech, François Bozizé painted "a picture as dark as it is traumatic" of his country. He blasted "the absence of democracy", "the rise of tribalism", "the gravity of the security situation" and "the total absence of state authority". 

François Bozizé presented himself as the candidate for "national reconciliation and unity", calling for the "gathering" of other parties behind his candidacy. 

With AFP

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