BANGUI: Central African President Faustin-Archange Touadera on Monday pledged to buttress security and peace as he was sworn in for a third term in one of the world’s poorest and most volatile countries.
In office since 2016, Touadera was re-elected with 77.90 percent of the vote in a December ballot contested by the opposition and main rival Anicet George Dologuele, who alleged massive fraud.
The inauguration took place in front of some 20,000 spectators at a stadium in the capital Bangui in the presence of Burundi’s President Evariste Ndayishimiye, who holds the rotating presidency of the African Union, and the leaders of Congo, Gabon and the Comoros.
Critics call the 68-year-old mathematician “President Wagner” after the Russian private military company that provides Touadera’s security and supports his army against rebel groups.
After maintaining influence and soldiers in the CAR following independence in 1960, France has gradually lost ground to Russia in the mineral-rich country.
It is seeking to woo CAR, which has now become a key Russian ally. President Emmanuel Macron and Touadera relaunched diplomatic ties in 2024 following a falling-out over Moscow’s influence.
In the face of the CAR’s long-standing instability, Touadera has increasingly relied on Wagner mercenaries who benefit in return from lucrative contracts in the gold, diamond and logging industries.
Touadera said in a speech after his investiture that he wanted to “consolidate peace, security, reconciliation, and national unity.”
CAR’s new constitution, adopted by referendum in 2023, allowed Touadera to stand again for a third straight term.
Major revamp
Bangui underwent a major revamp ahead of the ceremony.
The stadium was renovated, many buildings were repainted, several main roads were refurbished and traffic lights installed at several major intersections.
“I am very proud to witness this inauguration; it shows that our country is moving forward despite the difficulties,” said Marie Solange Nadjikouma, who attended the ceremony.
Some of the improvements, however, were not universally welcomed such as a statue of the president which was inaugurated on Saturday and then covered up after drawing flak on social media.
“We appreciate the efforts that have been made, but now we expect something concrete. The roads really need to be improved everywhere, not just in the city center; there must be electricity, water, and above all jobs for young people,” said resident Blaise Constant Yakite.
“People want to see changes in their daily lives, not just during big ceremonies,” he added.
The lives of the country’s 5.5 million inhabitants, 71 percent of whom live below the poverty line, remain abysmal with a lack of basic services, widespread unemployment, low levels of education and a spiralling cost of living.
‘Peace is returning’
Sandwiched between war-wracked Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) among other countries, the security situation in CAR has eased since the civil war of the 2010s but it remains “fragile,” according to Touadera.
“I reached out to the armed groups ... and peace is returning thanks to this willingness to engage in dialogue,” Touadera said in January.
“I will continue this extended hand policy,” he added.
Mathilde Tarif, a researcher at Belgium’s Ghent University said Touadera faced multiple challenges.
“One... will be his ability to maintain stable domestic security forces,” she said.
The success of this term “will depend greatly on the effectiveness of the partnerships he has established with Rwanda, the United Arab Emirates, and Russia,” on which “he relies to continue stabilising his regime,” Tarif said.
Today, nearly 90 percent of the territory is under government control, compared with 80 percent held by armed groups in 2021, according to various analysts.
