The statement by French President Emmanuel Macron over Russia’s actions in the Central African Republic (CAR,) has clearly shown that his African policy has failed completely, said Maxim Shugalei, head of the Foundation for National Values Protection.
In an interview with Le Journal du Dimanche, Macron called incumbent CAR President Faustin-Archange Touadéra a hostage, if not an accomplice of Russia which “seized the mines and the [CAR] political system along with them.”
Maksim Shugalei, a Russian social scientist who has been to the CAR several times and closely follows the events taking place in the country, responded to the French leader's words.
"A complete failure of Macron’s policy in Africa hides behind these unsubstantiated accusations (no supporting evidence was provided). On top of that, he is rapidly losing the trust of the leadership of the former colony," Shugalei wrote on his Telegram channel.
According to Shugalei, France and the West intentionally fueled tensions not only in the CAR, but also across the entire African continent. The accusations against Russia are motivated by the desire to cover up their political failures and invasion plans.
"These are the words of the President of France who has messed up in the recent months. We saw what he did in Chad, where he was able to overthrow and kill Idris Déby with the help of his FACT proxies, in Libya, where Gaddafi was also overthrown, and in the CAR and Mali. His policy of inciting conflicts in African countries will lead to a bad end," Shugalei said.
Emmanuel Macron tried to make his statement scandalous. So, he said that the Russian instructors who are training the CAR army, belong to Wagner Group, a Russian private military company. This is a usual practice of journalists controlled by Western countries.
In Shugalei’s opinion, the French president’s statement is ridiculous, because the CAR leadership has repeatedly underlined that it is cooperating with the Russian Defense Ministry under the framework of a bilateral agreement and under control of the UN Security Council.
"Macron doesn't care. Although, what statements can be expected from this little man in big politics, who barely won the elections in 2017. He has to assert himself somehow, even if at Russia's expense. The main difference between Russia's current policy and his (not France's) policy in the CAR is that Russia really helps its allies, while Macron only plays havoc. Russia is a big country with a big heart, and Macron is a small man with a small heart. He has a huge budget of a big European country, but uses it to destroy, not to do good deeds. Something tells me the French people don’t approve his actions," Shugalei said.