Russia to send military to the Central African Republic by end of June

[Kailash Kumar]

Russia to send military to the Central African Republic by end of June

June 9, 2019

During a St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), Russian Deputy Foreign Minister and Special Presidential Representative on the Middle East Mikhail Bogdanov told journalists that the Russian military will be sent to the Central African Republic (CAR) by the end of July to participate in the UN mission, reports TASS news agency.

According to Bogdanov, 30 Russian peacekeepers will be sent to the CAR. "I think [this will happen] soon. However, I am not sure if this will happen by the end of this or next month," said the Deputy Minister.

On April 15, the President of Russia Vladimir Putin signed an order to send the Russian military group to the Central African Republic. According to the document, the deployment of peacekeepers in Central Africa will be financed by the UN. Withdrawal of the military from the Central African Republic will take place if their assistance "is not required because of changes in the international military-political situation."

On May 23, it became known that Russia will provide a batch of weapons to the CAR free of charge. RBC news agency reported, citing the second secretary of the Russian embassy in the CAR Viktor Tokmakov, that it should include firearms and ammunition.

In March last year, five Russian military and 170 civilian instructors were sent to the country to train the local army and to ensure the supply of weapons to the local government. At the same time, the Russian Foreign Ministry did not rule out the possibility of an increase in the number of Russian military specialists in the CAR. In October 2018, it became known that 60 additional military instructors will be sent to the CAR.

Last year several foreign media, including the French newspaper Le Monde, reported that employees of Russian private military structures, including the Russian Private Military Company Wagner, are present in the Central African Republic.

A military correspondent Orkhan Jemal together with the film crew (Kirill Radchenko and Alexander Rastorguev) went to the CAR to investigate this information in the summer of 2018. They were killed a few days after arriving in the country by unknown persons. The deaths of journalists are being investigated both in the Central African Republic and in Russia.

http://uawire.org/russia-to-send-military-to-the-central-african-republic-by-end-of-june

 

[Wilhelm II]

Russia must watch it's economy for this activities growing influence without strong economy not work

 

[Mithridates]

Russia must watch it's economy for this activities growing influence without strong economy not work

where military goes, economy follows.

 

[Pakhtoon yum]

They need to chill out, looks like Putin is making the same mistakes like the Russian leaders before him

 

[Bogeyman]

From natural sources to military position: Russia's presence in Central Africa

On March 22, 2018, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia talked about Russia's cooperation with the Central African Republic. This was in response to a request by the Ministry to comment on Western media outlets "on the nature and content of Russia's bilateral relations with the Central African Republic". The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, among other things, said:

"With the approval of UNSC 2127 Resolution, established by the United Nations Security Council Committee, light arms and ammunition allocated from the warehouses of the Russian Ministry of Defense were supplied to the Central African army in late January and early February. Within the framework of this committee, 5 military and 170 civilian trainers from Russia It was sent to train service personnel of the Republic of Africa. This support was provided to the country in strict compliance with the sanctions imposed by the United Nations Security Council. "

It is highly probable that the civilian trainers mentioned as ambiguous are a unit of the Wagner mercenary group connected to the Kremlin. In early March, the independent Russian Internet news source "znak.com" learned that a new group of mercenaries had been sent to Africa.

Znak.Com is not the first source of news that Russian mercenaries have been sent to a continent. Earlier, the French radio station Europe1 spoke of the presence of Russians in the Central African Republic in February 2018, while BBC Russia reported a possible Wagner operation in Sudan.

This article will explain what happened in the Central African Republic and what could be the goals of the Russian presence in the country.

Background

The Central African Republic became independent in 1960 when the French colonial empire collapsed in western and central Africa. Since then, the country has been ruled by a number of dictators. The most well-known of these is Jean-Bédel Bokassa, who declared himself emperor. His sovereignty between 1966 and 1979 is commemorated by many crimes, one of which is cannibalism. Since 2003, the Central African Republic has been going through a multilateral ethnic and religious conflict, although there have been periods of silence. The country is effectively divided between various armed groups, including the Christian Anti Balaka and Muslim Seleka alliance groups. The central government has control over very few parts of the country. According to a United Nations report from the French newspaper Liberation, the rebels are carrying out acts of ethnic cleansing, as well as tribute and tolls on the roads, which suffocates the economy. The Central African Republic Although the diamond is rich in gold uranium and other natural resources, according to the same United Nations report, half of the population is in need of humanitarian aid.

Various African countries and United Nations peacekeeping forces are trying to maintain order in the Central African Republic. Since 2013, a French mission has been in the country. This is the seventh mission since the independence of the Central African Republic. French troops were trying to disarm the rebel groups. But in 2016, French soldiers repeatedly accused of rape (most paratroopers and marines) left the territory of the Central African Republic and could not complete their missions.

Russia enters Central African Republic

On March 24, 2018, the French AFP agency mentioned the presence of Russian instructors 60 kilometers from the capital of the Central African Republic, Bangui. According to AFP, these trainers were based in the Berengo estate, which was formerly owned by Bokassa. An AFP reporter on his way to see the Russians who trained the soldiers of the Central African Republic in tents and military uniforms. The journalist was not allowed to take photos and videos.

According to AFP, tents were adjacent to Bokassa's grave. The location of the grave could be determined from the photographs available on the internet. Satellite images show new objects, these tents, which are obviously adjacent to the tomb. The archive of satellite imagery shows that these objects on Bokassa's property appeared between January 21-22.

The article also mentions that Russia received an exemption from the UN embargo on the government troops of the Central African Republic. The Russian Foreign Ministry said that "light weapons and ammunition" were sent to the Central African Republic. According to the weekly Jeune Afrique, Russia's request to support the UN-approved army includes 900 Makarov pistols, 5200 Kalashnikov infantry rifles, 840 Kalashnikov machine guns, 140 sniper rifles, 270 RPGs and 20 MANPADS as well as ammunition.

On March 24, 2018, the photos of 200 graduates of the 3rd Black Infantry Battalion of the Central African Republic Armed Forces were shared from the official Facebook account of the President of the Central African Republic Faustin-Archange Touadéra. According to the division, these soldiers were trained by a European training mission, then trained to operate with Russian equipment, and soon the country
Many photographs show people of Caucasian origin wearing military clothing in the background. They may be members of the Vagner or Russian soldiers, but it cannot be said for certain.

Interestingly, a photograph shows the Soviet-Russian Ural 4320 military truck with desert camouflage. Outside, the air filter on the right reveals that the truck was built in Russia, not the Soviet Union. Regardless of this, the windscreen of the vehicle is also a symptom.

Interestingly, similar Ural trucks had seen a ship originating in Turkey detained in the Tunisian port of Sfax on February 16, 2018. Coincidentally, the name of the ship was Ural and belonged to Akdeniz RoRo, a Turkish company. The ship has been transporting cargo from Russia to Syria since at least 2016.

According to Tunisian media reports quoted by Maritime Bulletin, the ship was equipped with armored vehicles, ammunition, military uniforms, generators, medical equipment, satellite communications equipment, as well as military trucks. The Russian Embassy in Tunisia told RIA Novosti that the ship's cargo had gone to the authorities of the Central African Republic.

According to the same sources, the ship was released on 6 April and sailed to the port of Alexandria. But all the cargo was seized by Tunisian authorities. It is stated that Russia has reached the region via Hmeymim base in Syria, Egypt and Sudan.

What is Russia doing in the Central African Republic?

The Russian Foreign Ministry made the following statement regarding the presence of Russian soldiers and "civilian trainers" in the Central African Republic:

"Russia's support is part of the joint efforts of the international community to strengthen the national security units of the Central African Republic, to transfer all responsibility to the local authority for security, law and order in the country, and ultimately to normalize the situation and to provide a permanent solution to prolonged internal armed conflict. ".

However, Russian aid is unlikely to be so benevolent. The same Foreign Ministry statement also mentions the "mutually beneficial development of Central African natural resources", including the "mining research concession". Didier Francois, a French international relations expert, told Europe 1 that Russian instructors were deployed in close proximity to gold, diamonds and uranium. Didier stated that the oligarchs who were close to Putin carried out this situation and made this move for Russia's economic interests and strategic presence in East and Central Africa and shot two birds with one stone. The oligarch that Francois mentions is Evgeniy Prigozhin, who is said to be the name behind Vagner. Vagner was also active in Syria, close to gas fields.

At the same time, the expert said that many trainers entered the country illegally, with false passports, in agreement with the rebels on the Sudan border. Russian mercenaries are known to be active in Sudan. Aleksandr Kots, a pro-Kremlin journalist, shared a video of Russian instructors there.

https://twitter.com/x/status/940467146567700481

Russia's growing presence in Central Africa and its agreements with non-governmental groups, in particular, undermine France's influence in the region while increasing Russia's sphere of influence. It is a well-known fact that Russia has recently carried out its activities in Syria, Sudan and Central Africa using the Vagner front.

In the light of these data, it can be said that the claim of Vagner finger in the death of Muslim journalist Orhan Cemal, who was killed by unknown assailants while shooting a documentary investigating Russian mercenaries in Central Africa, is quite close to being real.

Earlier it was stated that Russia was using social media trolls to initiate a massacre against Rohingya in Arakan. In this context, Russia's good relations with Myanmar should be considered.

Likewise, the presence of Russia in the Central African Republic, another country known for the massacres of the Muslim population, reveals that this has become a foreign policy. In many different regions such as Syria, Arakan and Central Africa, Russia is using the tension it provokes through local people both to gain economic interests and to expand strategically.

https://www.mepanews.com/dogal-kaynaklardan-askeri-konuma-rusyanin-orta-afrika-varligi-18349h.htm

 

[Bogeyman]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1206895234044583936