The Central African Republic, a land of opportunities for Rwanda

There are several thousand Rwandans in the Central African Republic (CAR), many of them in the capital, Bangui, but they are rarely seen. “They are very discreet and live in a closed circle,” observes a Central African entrepreneur. However, over the past ten years, Rwanda has gradually become a key player in the Central African Republic, whether within the UN peacekeeping mission, in the entourage of President Faustin-Archange Touadéra, at the head of local branches of international organizations (World Bank, United Nations Development Program, World Food Program) or in the private economic sector. “So much so,” notes a former European ambassador to Bangui, “that one could think that the CAR is a sort of laboratory for Rwanda’s policy of influence in Africa.”

This is the hallmark of President Kagame, who launched his campaign for a fourth term on Saturday, June 22. It allows him to establish himself as a force to be reckoned with, particularly in the eyes of the West. In Mozambique, the other African country where Rwandan troops are deployed, their 2,500 men are tasked with securing Cabo Delgado, in the north, where a gigantic project of the French group TotalEnergies is located.

In the CAR, it was Rwanda that first came to the fore in 2013. A few months earlier, the Seleka guerrillas, a predominantly Muslim rebel coalition, had seized power by force from a failing government. Eight hundred and fifty soldiers from the Rwandan Defense Force immediately landed in Bangui, as part of the African Union’s International Support Mission in the Central African Republic (MISCA), which the following year became a UN mission, the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA).

This peacekeeping mission, the largest in the world in terms of personnel, has gradually become “Rwandan-dependent”. Kigali is by far its largest contributor of uniformed personnel. As of March 31, 2024, Rwanda provided some 2,100 soldiers, 30 staff officers and more than 700 police officers to the MINUSCA police force, led since 2021 by a Rwandan commissioner, Christophe Kabango Bizimungu. In total, this represents nearly 20% of the UN peacekeepers and police in the CAR. Kigali is also the fourth largest contributor to UN peace operations in the world (behind Nepal, India and Bangladesh).

The withdrawal of France

“The Rwandan element of MINUSCA is one of the few to have the discipline and professionalism required to be entrusted with highly sensitive missions or those requiring combat,” according to the report by the think tank International Crisis Group (ICG), dated July 7, 2023, devoted to “Rwanda’s growing role in the Central African Republic.” Since 2015, Rwandan peacekeepers have been providing protection to leading political figures, including Head of State Touadéra. “The ability of the Rwandans to develop militarily is precious and rare in Africa,” underlines a source at the Elysée.

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