"Russ-Afrique? Russia, France, and the Central African Republic" by Kimberly Marten

August 22, 2019

Prof. Kimberly Marten takes a look at Franco-Russian relations, and explores why Moscow is challenging France in the Central African Republic. 

Click here to read her full memo.

Summary: "The French government has been taking a balanced and often supportive diplomatic and economic approach to Russia in recent years, so Moscow should logically be trying to cement good relations with Paris amidst current tensions with the West. Yet since 2017, in the Central African Republic (CAR)—a poverty-stricken, violence-ridden country with enduring ties to France where neither the USSR nor Russia ever played much of a role—Russia has targeted France in what Moscow portrays as a geopolitical competition. This memo describes the situation and explores the variety of motives that Moscow might have for challenging France in CAR, even though no definitive explanation is possible with the currently available evidence."