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The training will only resume once the European Union mission has guarantees that the trained individuals will not end up employed by the Russian military activities company Wagner, sanctioned on Monday for its intervention in conflicts in various countries, which has included violations of human rights and looting of resources.
The European Union mission in the Central African Republic announced this Wednesday, December 15, that it will temporarily suspend the training of soldiers in that country, which is part of a mission approved by President Faustin-Archange Touadéra in 2016, to contribute to the reform of the defense sector in the country.
Central African Republic is one of the ten poorest countries in the world and considered the last on the planet according to the human development index. It has been rocked by a bloody civil war since 2013.
On Monday, the European Union issued sanctions against the Russian military contractor group Wagner for “serious human rights abuses in Ukraine, Syria, Libya, the Central African Republic, Sudan and Mozambique,” including extrajudicial executions, arbitrary detentions and torture.
Why is Wagner sanctioned?
The European Union measure included travel restrictions and an asset freeze, and is expected to dissuade governments from contracting with the company, which is said to act on behalf of the Kremlin.
President Vladimir Putin denied that the group represents Russia or is financed by Moscow, but defended the right of the countries to “carry out an independent domestic and foreign policy”, which includes interacting with “with foreign partners” according to their interests in security and defense matters.
Moscow recognizes the presence of 1,135 “unarmed instructors” in the Central African Republic, but non-governmental organizations, the United Nations and the French government believe that many of them are members of the Wagner group.
Five-year cooperation ends
General Jacques Langlade de Montgros, commander of the EU training mission in the Central African Republic, explained that the suspension of cooperation occurs “due to the control exercised by the Wagner company mercenaries over the Central American Armed Forces (FACA)” .
“These mercenaries deliver training to the FACA and employ them in operations. Therefore, the temporary suspension of our training is aimed at avoiding any overlap with these mercenaries and ensuring that they do not employ the Central African soldiers that we have trained,” added de Montgros .
The decision involves the return to their countries of origin of 70 instructors who were part of the training program.
Wagner’s advance in Africa alarms the West
The Brussels and Washington have recently expressed concern about indications that mercenaries of the Wagner group They are also about to start a deployment in Mali to support the government in its fight against Islamist groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.
“Wagner’s forces, which are known for their destabilizing activities and human rights abuses, will not bring peace to Mali, but will further destabilize the country,” said State Department spokesman Ned Price.
French President Emmanuel Macron will travel to Mali next Monday, where he is expected to meet with the leader of the military regime, Colonel Assimi Goita, to try to dissuade him from establishing relations with the Wagner group, with the warning that they do. it would represent the end of military cooperation with France, an alliance established nine years ago through Operation Barkhane.
With AFP, Reuters and EFE
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