A coalition of opposition political parties in the Central African Republic (CAR) has called on Russian mercenaries to leave the country in the wake of allegations of their involvement in atrocities.
The Russians are in the country to assist government forces against rebels.
However, opposition political parties as well as the United Nations have said that the mercenaries have been responsible for a number of human rights abuses. These include mass shootings, arbitrary detentions, and attacks on civilians. According to the BBC, the most recent allegation is that Russian mercenaries killed 10 people and burnt homes in the north-east of the country.
Moscow claims that there are just over 500 Russian mercenaries operating in CAR, but it is believed that the real number is higher. Reportedly, the Russian-owned private security company Wagner Group alone employs over 1 000 people in CAR.
Analysts have said the influence of Russian mercenaries in CAR is part of a ploy by the Kremlin to extend its influence on the continent. The country is also using its position as a state that never had any colonial holdings in Africa to set it apart from countries which are former colonial powers on the continent, such as France and the United Kingdom.
Thirteen South African soldiers were killed in the infamous Battle of Bangui in 2013. South African forces had been deployed to the country to help shore up the government of that time. The battle was South Africa’s worst post-apartheid military clash in terms of lives lost.
[Image: Alllexxxis, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37229930]