Pro-Russia protesters rally in Central African Republic
Africanews | A hundred people showed up in Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic, on Saturday to support Russia in its war into Ukraine, according to an AFP journalist.
The demonstrators gathered at the foot of a statue depicting Russian warriors defending a woman and her children, which was unveiled by President Faustin Archange Touadéra in late 2021. Many people hoisted Russian and Central African flags near the university in the center of the metropolis.
When President Touadéra called on Moscow to help him save his destitute and badly trained army more than a year ago, hundreds of Russian paramilitaries were added to the many others who had been present for three years.
They fought back the armed groups that were holding two-thirds of the country and reclaimed the vast majority of the land in just a few months.
However, the UN claims that this came at the cost of severe human rights crimes, including "massacres" and the "execution" of people by "mercenaries" from the Russian private security firm Wagner.
"Russia saves Donbass," they said, referring to the pro-Russian separatist enclave in eastern Ukraine, "Russia and Central Africa against Nazism," and "It's Nato's fault."
The Central African Republic abstained from a vote at the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday on a statement that "demands that Russia immediately cease the use of force against Ukraine."
"We've come to lend Russia our unshakable support in this conflict. I believe it was pushed on Russia by the West "According to AFP, Blaise-Didacien Kossimatchi, a member of the National Galaxie platform, one of the organizations organizing the protest, often criticizes France, a former colonial power, and the United Nations.
He went on to say that NATO planned to set up a military base in Ukraine to strike Russia.
On February 23, Galaxie Nationale planned a prior demonstration in Bangui in support of Russia, which drew roughly 100 people.
"We've come to show our support for Russia, which has come to bring peace to our country," Brice Plegba said, waving Russian and Central African flags.
For the first time at the UN Security Council, France, and the United States accused the "Wagner mercenaries" of "massacred" and "executing" scores of people in January. A Russian ambassador refuted this right away, accusing Paris and Washington of attempting to "discredit" Russian "specialists" in the Central African Republic.