The re-elected President of the Central African Republic (CAR), Faustin-Archange Touadera, has invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to visit the country, further cementing a partnership that has grown in recent years. Touadera, in power since 2016, secured a third term in office according to provisional results from the December 28 presidential election, winning an outright majority. In a video interview with Russian news agency TASS, he praised Putin as a “great leader” and said the Russian president is “very attentive” to CAR-Russia relations.
Russia has become a key ally of Bangui since 2018, when CAR became the first West and Central African country to bring in Wagner Group mercenaries to support government forces against multiple rebel factions. Wagner commented on the preliminary results via its Telegram channel, stating there is “no doubt that the chosen course of maintaining order and peace will prevail.” Analysts say Touadera’s victory is likely to strengthen Russia’s influence in CAR, particularly in the gold and diamond mining sectors, while consolidating Moscow’s strategic foothold in Central Africa. As the country enters another term under Touadera, the deepening CAR-Russia relationship carries both security and economic implications for the region.
