Le Monde: Washington launches a strategy to expel Wagner's mercenaries from Africa

Le Monde said that Washington offered Bangui to train its army and increase its humanitarian aid to it in return for expelling the Russian paramilitary forces from the Central African Republic, in what appeared to be a classic deal with the launch of the US strategy to evacuate Africa from the Russian mercenaries of Wagner.

And this French newspaper stated - in a report written by Cyril Bensimon - that the President of the Central African Republic, Faustin-Archange Touadera, received a memorandum from the US administration in mid-December 2022, explaining to him the benefits he might gain from separating from Wagner's paramilitary groups, and the consequences. He could pay for remaining in an alliance with her.

Padded alarm

And if this offer is not a warning, the United States gives - according to the newspaper's sources - 12 months for the President of Central Africa to distance himself from the Russian mercenaries (Wagner) that have been operating in his country according to an official agreement since the beginning of 2018, which includes the president's security and support for the army, and has expanded its activities to mining. Securing convoys, customs control, and even the production of vodka (a type of wine popular in Russia) and "domestic beer" appear to be increasingly controlled, with multiple violations reported by human rights organizations, the report says.

Although Washington considers the Wagner Group a "wide-ranging, transnational criminal organization," it does not close the door without the countries in which this organization operates, unlike Paris, which justified the withdrawal of its soldiers and the cessation of its aid programs for Central Africa and Mali with the presence of Wagner's forces in the two countries, and thus offers Bangui support. Training its armed forces to replace the "Russian trainers", increasing humanitarian assistance and strengthening its support for the United Nations mission on the ground, in addition to its willingness to work to remove former President Francois Bozizé from Chad.

And if Bangui does not respond, Washington is considering cuts in its funding and staffing inside its embassy or closing it if necessary, and it could reach individual sanctions targeting powerful figures considered most linked to Russian paramilitary groups and the companies they control.

field to compete

Although the Central African Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sylvie Babu Timon, admitted to the newspaper that she has been "in constant contact" with US diplomacy since October 2022, she denies her knowledge of a written document in which Washington dictates the terms of its cooperation, noting that "the Central African Republic wants to diversify its partnerships." It expects the entire international community to be involved "in responding to real needs, not geopolitical issues".

The newspaper says: Thus, Central Africa, which has often been neglected by diplomacy and donors, has become a field of competition between the West and Moscow, but the president of this country - if he has the will - does not have the ability to disengage from his current protectors who watch over his personal security.

She indicated that the approach that the United States is trying with the presidency of the Central African Republic is part of a broader American strategy of containment, but it has not yet yielded tangible results on the African continent, especially since Wagner in Sudan and Mali is working “at the direct request of governments and contributing to the normalization of the situation.” in Iraq".