French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot has begun a two-day visit to the Central African Republic, the first time France has sent its top diplomat to the country in more than seven years. It signals a thaw in relations between Paris and Bangui after a period of tension.
Barrot arrived in Bangui on Thursday and is scheduled to meet President Faustin-Archange Touadéra on Friday.
France had not previously sent a foreign minister to the Central African Republic since Jean-Yves Le Drian’s visit in November 2018.
The trip is part of a broader effort to revive ties that cooled in recent years as Russia expanded its political and military influence in the resource-rich country. It follows Touadéra's visit to Paris in April 2024, where he and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed on a road map to resetting relations.
During his stay, Barrot is also scheduled to meet Prime Minister Félix Moloua and Foreign Minister Sylvie Notéfé. He will visit the European Union Training Mission, which trains Central African armed forces, as well as Minusca, the United Nations peacekeeping mission deployed in the country.
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Survivors' centre
One of Barrot's first stops was the new headquarters of the Movement of Survivors of the Central African Republic (Mosuca), an organisation that defends the rights of victims of sexual violence.
The building in Bangui, which the minister officially inaugurated on Thursday, is named for Simone Veil, the late French politician and campaigner for women’s rights.
The organisation's activities range from documenting cases of conflict-related sexual violence to providing training and launching programmes aimed at helping survivors build economic independence.
Two years ago Mosuca received the Simone Veil Prize, which honours organisations around the world for their commitment to women’s rights.
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Moscow's influence
Barrot’s visit comes against a shifting geopolitical landscape in the Central African Republic, a nation of over 5 million people rich in natural resources such as gold, diamonds and timber.
France, which had long been a dominant political and military partner since the country’s independence in 1960, has seen its influence eroded by Russia and the presence of Russian paramilitary forces linked to mercenary group Wagner. These groups have secured a range of lucrative mining and security contracts in recent years.
Meanwhile, Touadéra has strengthened ties with Moscow. He returned to Bangui shortly before Barrot’s arrival following a week-long visit to Russia, where he met President Vladimir Putin.
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Barrot’s visit also follows the release of a French humanitarian worker employed by Doctors Without Borders (MSF). Together with a Central African colleague, the aid worker was detained on 4 March near the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo on suspicion of “activities aimed at destabilisation”.
MSF confirmed the pair were released on 11 March, the day before Barrot arrived in Bangui.
Touadéra was re-elected in January for a third term in an election contested by opposition figures. The vote followed the adoption of a new constitution in 2023 that allows him to remain in power beyond previous term limits.
This story has been adapted from newswires and original reporting in French by RFI correspondent Rolf Steve Domia-Leu in Bangui.
