Russian Deputy Foreign Minister and Special Presidential Envoy for the Middle East and Africa Mikhail Bogdanov has held talks with French Ambassador in Moscow Pierre Levy to discuss the situation in the Central African Republic (CAR), the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd December, 2020) Russian Deputy Foreign Minister and Special Presidential Envoy for the middle East and Africa Mikhail Bogdanov has held talks with French Ambassador in Moscow Pierre Levy to discuss the situation in the Central African Republic (CAR), the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.
"A comprehensive exchange of opinions took place during the meeting regarding the Middle Eastern agenda, with the emphasis on the latest developments in Libya, Syria and Lebanon. Special attention was paid to the developing situation in the CAR," the ministry said in a press release.
On Sunday, car citizens will head to polling stations to elect a new president and members of the parliament's lower house. The United Nations and numerous countries, including Russia and France, have called on the internal power holders to refrain from any actions that could undermine the electoral process.
For around a week, tensions have been brewing in the landlocked African nation between the incumbent government and ex-President Francois Bozize, supported by armed militias. The government believes Bozize is plotting a coup after being denied the right to run in the elections.
Bozize ruled until he was toppled in 2013, when the CAR capital of Bangui was taken over by rebels and became a battlefield between a former Islamist movement known as Seleka and their Christian-majority antagonists, known as Anti-Balaka. The armed conflict resulted in over 6,000 casualties and prompted the flight of approximately 1 million people, according to UN estimates. In 2014, the UN deployed a peacekeeping force, MINUSCA, to ensure the protection of civilians in the conflict zone.
In February 2019, CAR President Faustin-Archange Touadera and leaders of 14 rebel groups signed a peace agreement, consenting to arrange for an inclusive general election in a bid to ensure a peaceful transfer of power. The government also committed to ensuring the free formation of political parties and movements, as well as to facilitate the return of refugees.
