Earlier this year in July, President Faustin-Archange Touadéra, of the Central African Republic, accompanied by senior officials of MINUSCA, pay homage to the deceased RDF Blue Helmet killed in an attack.
The Government of Rwanda has deployed force protection troops to the Central African Republic, under an existing bilateral agreement on defense. The deployment is in response to the targeting of the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) contingent under the UN Peacekeeping force by rebels supported by François Bozizé .
Rwandan troops will also contribute to ensure a peaceful and secure general elections scheduled on Sunday 27 December 2020, twenty-two months after the peace agreement which was reached between the government and fourteen armed groups.
Bozizé is a former president of the Central African Republic who was deposed in 2013. He has been accused by the current government of CAR of plotting a coup. He is accused of allying with a rebel alliance that is fighting President Faustin Archange Touadéra’s government.
The rejection of Bozizé’s candidacy for next week’s national elections by the country’s highest court has led to tensions in the country. The UN said on Friday it had deployed more peacekeeping forces to the country.
President Touadéra said the election will take place despite the instability in the country. Bozizé is among those who say the polls should be suspended until peace and security is feasible.
The Rwanda Defence Force is also one of the largest troop contributor to the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) since 2014.
