MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th December, 2020) French President Emmanuel Macron has held phone talks with Faustin-Archange Touadera, his counterpart from the Central African Republic (CAR), during which he condemned the attempts by armed groups and some politicians to disrupt the upcoming elections, the Elysee Palace said on Wednesday.
CAR citizens will head to the polling stations to elect a new president and members of the lower house this coming Sunday.
"The French president recalled France's consistent commitment to contribute, together with the authorities and people of the CAR, to the stabilization of this country. In this regard, the French president condemned the attempts by armed groups and certain political leaders, including [ex-CAR President] Francois Bozize to obstruct the implementation of the peace agreements and the conduct of elections under a schedule planned and supported by the international community," the French Presidency said in a press release.
Macron and Touadera have expressed support for the UN peacekeeping force in the CAR, MINUSCA, which they believe facilitated a "firm response" to the destabilization attempts, according to the press release.
"At the request of President Touadera and in accord with MINUSCA, the French president ordered for a mission flight of fighter jets over car territory. This mission took place today to mark France's condemnation of the attempts to destabilize the country," the press release read.
CAR authorities believe that Bozize is plotting a coup after being denied the right to run in the elections.
The CAR is a former French colony, which proclaimed independence in 1960. Following a series of coups, the landlocked African nation descended into a civil war in the early 2000s, which resulted in Bozize coming to power in 2003. He ruled until 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 its Christian-majority antagonists, known as Anti-Balaka. MINUSCA was deployed in 2014 to ensure the protection of civilians amid the bloody conflict.
In February 2019, 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.
