France resumes its aid to the Central African Republic

Published on November 14, 2024

Lecture : 1 minute.

France has paid budgetary aid to the Central African Republic for the first time in three years, via a donation of 10 million euros from the French Development Agency (AFD), announced the embassy during a press conference held on November 13 in Bangui. “A sign of the progressive reengagement and normalization of bilateral relations between the two country”, the aid is intended to finance “directly, without conditionality or any reservation, operations relating to the sovereignty and democratic governance of the Central African State”, explained the ambassador of France, Bruno Foucher.

Funds to organize the next elections

In 2021, France decided to freeze its budgetary aid and suspend its military cooperation with Bangui, judged to be “accomplice” of an anti-French campaign controlled by Moscow. In April, President Emmanuel Macron received his counterpart Faustin-Archange Touadéra in Paris and the two leaders had adopted “a road map” with a view to establishing a “constructive partnership” and relaunching their relationship.

The funds paid in one go to the account of the Treasure will be allocated for “support for economic and financial governance (5 million euros)”, “the reduction of domestic arrears (3 million euros)” and finally “the organization of elections (2 millions euros)”, according to a distribution decided by the Central African Ministry of Finance, according to details from the French ambassador.

The allocation dedicated to elections will supplement the common pot managed by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and supported by the European Union for the organization of local elections in July 2025.

Relations between France and the Central African Republic had degraded gradually after the arrival of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner on Central African territory in 2017 and the repeated attacks which French interests regularly the object.

(With AFP)