Four soldiers of the French Foreign Legion, forming the close protection team of General Marchenoir, Chief of Staff of Minusca, were arrested on Monday at Bangui airport, in the Central African Republic.
The arrest, this Monday by the Central African gendarmerie, of four French soldiers around Bangui airport caused some stir in the highest spheres of the Central African Republic.
The four soldiers, members of the close protection team of French General Stéphane Marchenoir, Chief of Staff of the UN Mission for Stabilization in the Central African Republic (Minusca), were still around the airport more than two hours after their leader took off for Paris.
The arrested soldiers, of French, Italian, Bulgarian and Romanian origins, are part of the French Foreign Legion. They were heavily armed, and were on board an unmarked armored 4×4. Meanwhile, the President of the Central African Republic (CAR), Faustin-Archange Touadéra, arrived in Bangui from Douala (Cameroon). The presence of the French soldiers therefore aroused the suspicion of the gendarmes.
A few observers on the spot believed that the French soldiers were seeking to assassinate Touadéra, which prompted their arrest. This Wednesday, the four men were still questioned by the police.
For the French army, this is a manifestation of "the instrumentalization by certain malicious networks and the gross disinformation to which it gives rise". The French Embassy in Bangui took over the army's press release, condemning the event which it describes as an unfortunate "combination of circumstances".
It must be said to the French Embassy in Bangui and its accomplice MINUSCA that:
⚫️Air Phranse Flight AF3266 took off from Bangui at 15:10 p.m., probably with General Marche–noir, Chief of Staff of MINUSCA, on board. 15:10 p.m. Bangui time.
⚫️Asky Flight KP34 in pic.twitter.com/j7Mf1wiBD0- Unpredictable 🇲🇱🇮🇪 (@ Hadji1006) February 22, 2022
Tensions between France and CAR
While the Minusca, for its part, denies any "attempt to undermine the security of the Central African state", the prosecution has decided to open an investigation. "The prosecution has decided to open a regular investigation to shed light on the facts," said prosecutor Laurent Lengande.
According to a French army official, the arrested soldiers have UN identification cards. The commander of Minusca, Mankeur Ndiaye, would have been received on Tuesday by President Touadéra "to deal with the file", according to UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric.
As a reminder, Paris has increasingly tense relations with the CAR. A context that dates from 2013. The departure of the French soldiers had preceded the arrival of the paramilitary group Wagner. Russia is now firmly established in the CAR and, since the intervention of Wagner and the Rwandan forces at the end of 2020, the rebel groups are at bay. The capital Bangui has even been opened up.
Cooperation between Touadera and Moscow now covers all sectors, from education, health and security, to energy and infrastructure.
A context that angers France, of course. And the converse is true: Paris' continued support for rebel leader and former president François Bozizé, now exiled in Chad, irritates Bangui.
Moreover, a former French soldier who had cooperated with Bozizé in the past, Juan Rémy Quignolot, has been detained in the CAR since last May. The spy, arrested in Bangui and awaiting the continuation of his trial, is now accused of undermining the internal security of the State and conspiracy, among other things.