The legionaries, which operated under the UN banner, are accused of social networks for wanted to “murder” the Touadéra president.
Le Monde with AFP
The Central African Republic has opened an investigation Tuesday, February 22nd after the arrest the watch in Bangui of four soldiers of the foreign legion of the French army operating under the banner of the United Nations (UN) and accused. On social networks for wanted to “murder” the head of state.
This announcement occurs the same day where France and the United States accused by the voice of their ambassadors before the Security Council of the UN “mercenaries” of the Russian private security company Wagner to have ” executed “and” massacred “dozens of civilians. And to lead a “systematic” campaign of “terror” in the Central African Republic where they fight the rebels alongside the regular army.
The four “legionnaires” arrested on Monday in front of Bangui airport were heavily armed and lattice, “of French, Italian, Romanian and Bulgarian nationality”, and circulated aboard a non-sighted UN, indicated. The Prosecutor of the Republic of Bangui Tuesday evening announcing the opening of “a regular investigation to shed light on the facts”.
They escorted the general French Stéphane Marchenoir, Chief of Staff of the Peacekeeping Force in Central African Republic (MINUSCA) at the airport, where he took a plane for Paris, then assured the French army. and the UN.
But they had been accused immediately on many private accounts on social networks, with force photos of their equipment, for wanted to “murder” the Central African President Faustin Archange Touadéra, whose convoy had to move to the same place. That Paris and the UN had immediately denied with force, denouncing a “misinformation” and a “coarse manipulation”.
more and more tense relationships
On board a “suspicious vehicle”, in possession of four automatic pistols, three assault rifles, a machine gun and grenades, the four men were “less than 30 meters from the passage of the presidential convoy”, Assured the Lengland Prosecutor, adding: “The vehicle was followed by the police intelligence services for two months.”
A UN official in the Central African Republic met with President Touadéra to obtain “as soon as possible” the release of the four soldiers, “said UN spokesman in New York.
This incident occurred when the relations between France and its former colony are more and more tense, exacerbated by a fierce war of influence between Paris and Moscow, in this country in civil war since 2013.
France criticizes the Central African Republic of being “accomplice” of an anti-market campaign orchestrated by Moscow, including innumerable trolls on social networks and in some media. And Moscow reproaches Paris to accuse the paramilitaries of Wagner for having a low hand on the power and resources of the country.