Russia recently reiterated its intention to back the Central African Republic (CAR) in strengthening its national security.
- Russia reaffirms support for Central African Republic’s national security.
- Russian military experts have trained over 900 CAR military officers and troops in a year.
- President Touadera of CAR visited Moscow for talks with Russian President Putin to strengthen bilateral cooperation.
According to the Russian embassy, the Russian Ambassador to CAR Alexander Bikantov reaffirmed Russia’s willingness to invest in the country’s security forces, during his meeting with the CAR’s Minister of Interior Michel Nicaise Nassin.
The embassy’s statement also relayed that Minister Nassin thanked Russia for its support and stressed the importance of Russia-Central Africa cooperation.
The meeting was held in a spirit of mutual understanding and openness, according to the statement, as reported by Sputnik.
In the span of a year, more than 900 CAR military officers and troops have been trained by Russian military experts, Alexander Ivanov, director of the Officers Union for International Security, told Russian media.
The Kremlin has offered military assistance to the administration of Touadera in its conflict with several rebel groups.
According to Ivanov, the Central African Army’s milestones, which were aided by Russian instructors, have elevated the status of military service and increased interest in joining the CAR Armed Forces.
As presently constituted, CAR has one of the weakest militaries in Africa, ranking as the second least powerful on the continent, only behind Benin.
For many years, Russia has maintained close relations with several African countries, especially former French colonies.
A growing amount of African countries have turned to Russia as their preferred security partner in recent years, replacing more established friends like the US and France.
Central African Republic and Russia in 2025
Earlier this month, the president of the Central African Republic (CAR), Faustin-Archange Touadera, embarked on a three-day visit to Moscow for talks that will foster his country’s relationship with Russia.
Touadera met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow during his visit. Without going into additional details, the Kremlin said the two presidents talked about the need to strengthen bilateral cooperation between the two nations.
“I would like to note our cooperation in the area of security. We intend to act in this direction as we have done so far. We will discuss these prospects with you in a broad format and then during our face-to-face meeting,” the Russian leader said following their meeting, as seen on MSN.
Additionally, the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the fields of geology and subsurface use, according to the Russian Natural Resources Ministry, during a bilateral meeting between Russian Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology Sergey Anoprienko and the CAR’s Minister of Mines and Geology Rufin Benam Beltoungou.
