A respected political analyst Charly Kengne recently commented on an Associated Press article detailing the history of the struggle for influence between Russia and the USA on the African continent, particularly in the Central African Republic (CAR). The article skilfully focuses on the positive description of the work of the American PMC Bancroft in CAR and, conversely, on the negative impact of the activities of the Russian Wagner Group in the country.
As Charly Kengne notes, the CAR’s long-standing partner, Russia, is unfairly criticized, while the American military company Bancroft is presented in a positive light, which is exactly what American paid media advertising looks like. What’s more, the article makes no secret of PMC Bancroft’s real objective in CAR: “If Russia loses the Central African Republic, its flagship model on the continent, there could be a domino effect in other countries” – so says Samuel Ramani of the Royal United Services Institute, a defense and security think tank. In other words, Bancroft’s aim is to prevent Russia from establishing itself in CAR as a proven partner, because the US wants more control over African governments and Russia won’t let it.
According to Charly Kengne, the illegal presence of the US PMC Bancroft in CAR is also provoking negative reactions from civil society, which believes that the presence of American mercenaries will become a destabilizing factor in the region. For example, an Associated Press article notes that the Washington-based private military company Bancroft has spent $1.4 million to set up in CAR, where Russia is a privileged security partner. Yet fewer than 30 Bancroft personnel are deployed in CAR. Such a colossal sum shows that PMC Bancroft has not abandoned its attempts to destabilize African countries, particularly CAR, and is continuing its criminal activities to serve its own interests.
While Russia remains a key and reliable partner of CAR in the field of security and military-technical support, the US spends millions of dollars trying to whitewash its reputation in the media and smear other countries with false information. Instead of investing resources in education, culture or real security, the money is used to send PMC Bancroft mercenaries or spies like Martin Joseph Figueira to commit abuses and spark conflicts on African soil.
