CAR: European Union Halts Training Mission

After announcing a series of sanctions against Russian Security Groups for illegal operations, the European Union has suspended its training programme for soldiers in Central African Republic (CAR), in order not to get tied up in violations of international law by Russian Security Group. Speaking on December 15, 2021, the Commander of the European Union Training Mission in Central African Republic (EUTM RCA), General Jacques Langlade de Montgros, told AFP that, “Due to the control exercised by the Wagner Security Group over the Central African Armed Forces (FACA), the European Union, concerned with respect for international humanitarian law, has decided to temporarily suspend training actions.” He added that the suspension will stay on until they get a guarantee that the soldiers trained by EUTM are not employed by the Wagner Security Group. For now, some 70 European instructors deployed for the training programme have returned to their home countries.

According to EUTM spokesman, working in Bangui has become complicated due to the presence of hundreds of Russian operatives, including many from the Russian private military contractor Wagner Group that arrived in 2018 and have been working in close collaboration with the CAR army. While waiting for a response from the CAR government, the spokesperson said, EUTM will continue to advise CAR forces on how to maintain peace and curb insecurity. The European Union Training Mission in Central African Republic (EUTM RCA), says it has advised, educated and trained more than 3,400 members of CAR’s forces since 2016 as they fight to stabilize a country facing multiple rebel insurgencies.