A statue of the late leader of the Wagner mercenary group was unveiled as a symbol of Russian-CAR bilateral relations, commemorating Prigozhin’s contributions since 2018 in the fight against Central African Republic rebel groups (BBC)
UN Report Details “Positive Momentum” in Central African Republic
UN Special Representative for CAR Valentine Rugwabiza credited recent armed group dissolutions and demobilizations under CAR’s political agreement as primary contributors to social improvement (UN News)
UN Lifts Arms Embargo on Central African Republic
The termination of the embargo will allow greater arms access to the Wagner Group-supported Central African Republican military while preventing UN member countries from selling arms to rebel groups (AP)
UN Experts Say Sudan Recruiting in Central African Republic
Sudanese paramilitaries are recruiting fighters from the Central African Republic, according to a UN report released Friday, exacerbating the pre-existing humanitarian crisis in the country and posing a new threat to civilians (Voice of America)
CAR Government Suspends Activities of Chinese Mining Company
The Central African Republic has suspended the activities of a Chinese gold and diamond mining company, Daqing SARL, for allegedly cooperating with armed groups in the region (AP)
United States Sanctions Two Firms That Supported Wagner Group
The Treasury Department said one of the firms is responsible for importing chemicals used in mining and leasing equipment to the Wagner Group; the other company received shipments from an entity linked to Wagner’s former leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, who died in a plane crash last year (VOA)
CAR Court Issues Arrest Warrant for Former President
Central African Republic’s exiled president is wanted on charges for human rights abuses committed between 2009 to 2013 (AP)
10,000 Child Soldiers Still Fighting with Armed Groups in CAR
Central African Republic Minister for Family and Gender Marthe Kirima stated that rebel forces are still recruiting children to act as fighters, spies, and even sex slaves, and those that have escaped continue to face challenges reintegrating into society (AP)
U.S. Private Military Company in Talks With CAR Amid Wagner’s Reorganization
Bancroft Global Development agreed to a framework beginning in July for discussing future activities with the CAR government; the Russian private military company Wagner Group has worked with the CAR government since 2018, but Wagner is undergoing changes following the death of its founder in August (AfricaNews)
Rebels Kill At Least Twenty Civilians
Assailants attacked army checkpoints and burned down houses before targeting the civilian population; while no one has assumed responsibility for the attack, locals believe the Return, Reclamation, Rehabilitation (3R) group is culpable (AP)
NYT: U.S and Russia Compete for Influence in Central African Republic
The two countries are reportedly contending to take up the security assistance mantle held by the Russian private military company Wagner Group in the Central African Republic before the death of Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin; a security advisor to CAR’s president said his administration was weighing partnering with U.S. officials and would issue a decision by next month (NYT)
World Bank: Increasing Agriculture and Food Resilience Key to Reducing Poverty in Central African Republic
The institution’s first poverty assessment for the country highlighted the importance of improving the farming sector, which supports 70 percent of the working-age population (World Bank)
Central African Republic Rebels Kill At least Five Civilians in Attack
Around three hundred members of the Coalition of Patriots for Change (CPC), an alliance of armed groups, reportedly sieged the northwestern town of Moyenne Sido (Reuters)
U.S. Removes CAR From African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA)
The United States will remove the Central African Republic (CAR), Gabon, Niger, and Uganda from the trade program over “gross violations” of human rights in CAR and Uganda, as well as Niger and Gabon’s failure to make progress on political pluralism and the rule of law, President Joe Biden said (Reuters)
ICC Drops War Crimes Charges Against Former Central African Republic Official
The International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor said he made the decision because there were “no longer any reasonable prospects of conviction at trial” of Maxime Jeoffroy Eli Mokom Gawaka, who stood accused of murder, extermination, deportation, torture, and persecution during his time coordinating the predominantly Christian anti-Balaka group’s operations in the Central African Republic (AFP)
Central African Republic Sentences François Bozizé to Life Imprisonment
The ex-president, who came to power in a coup in 2003 and was overthrown by rebels in 2013, remains in exile and was charged in absentia along with dozens of others for crimes including rebellion, murder, and undermining security (AFP)
Wagner Mercenaries to Remain in the Central African Republic
In an interview at the presidential palace, CAR President Faustin-Archange Touadera confirmed that Russian fighters would continue to provide security in his country despite the death of Wagner Group leader Yevgeniy Prigozhin last month (WaPo)
Ex-Rebel Leader Abdoulaye Hissene Charged with War Crimes in Central African Republic
The UN-backed Special Criminal Court found Hissene, the former leader of the Popular Front for the Rebirth of Central African Republic (FPRC) during the Seleka rebellion, guilty of crimes against humanity (Al Jazeera)
United Nations: Central African Republic Facing Worsening Humanitarian Crisis
The deputy special representative for the UN peacekeeping mission said 2.4 million people need assistance while the United Nations’ $534 million appeal is only 36 percent funded (AP)
Russian Delegation Visits the Central African Republic
Flight tracking data indicated that a military plane carrying a Russian delegation landed in the CAR after visiting Burkina Faso; the purpose of the visit remains unknown (Reuters)
ICC Prosecutors Seek War Crimes Trial for Former Central African Republic Militia Leader
Prosecutors are seeking war crimes charges against former Central African Republic militia leader Maxime Jeoffroy Eli Mokom Gawaka for violently targeting the country’s Muslim population in 2013 and 2014 (Reuters)
Central African Republic President Wins Referendum with Wagner Support
The referendum to remove the two-term limit and extend presidential terms from five years to seven passed with 95 percent of the vote but only 10 percent turnout; additional Wagner troops arrived to provide extra security for President Faustin-Archange Touadera (BBC)
Armed Men Kill Thirteen Civilians in Central African Republic
The men reportedly entered the northern village of Diki, near the border with Chad, and demanded a meeting with residents and community leaders before opening fire on them; no group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack (AP)
Central African Republic Holds Referendum on Presidential Term Limits
Today’s vote could extend presidential terms from five years to seven and abolish term limits, allowing Faustin-Archange Touadera, currently in his second term as president, to run in the 2025 elections (Reuters)
UK Announces New Sanctions on Wagner-Linked Entities in Africa
The sanctions target people and businesses that the UK government believes are linked to the Russian Wagner Group in Mali, the Central African Republic, and Sudan, where the private military company is accused of executions, torture, and threats to peace (Bloomberg)