President Faustin-Archange Touadéra of the Central African Republic is under heavy pressure from the Russian government to sign a military cooperation agreement with the Africa Corps, a Russian mercenary group.
This group, also known as the Russian Expeditionary Corps (REK), is directly supervised and managed by the Russian government.
According to Africa Intelligence, the Kremlin’s growing pressure could push President Touadéra to sign the cooperation agreement by the end of this year, with the first mercenaries possibly arriving in the Central African Republic by summer.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense reportedly intends to deploy Africa Corps mercenaries to replace Wagner Group fighters, who have been operating in the country since 2017—making this the key reason behind Moscow’s persistent pressure on Touadéra.
While facing this pressure, Touadéra is said to be hesitant and taking his time to make a final decision.
In January this year, President Touadéra was in Moscow where he held talks with President Vladimir Putin, following earlier discussions with the Russian Ambassador in Bangui.
During these discussions, Touadéra expressed legal and justice-related concerns over signing with Africa Corps, particularly since the group is seen as a rival to Wagner.
However, in March, Russian Deputy Minister of Defense Yunus-Bek Yevkurov visited the Central African Republic and openly declared that Bangui must cut ties with Wagner. This left the Central African Republic with few choices.
Africa Corps is expected to officially begin operations in the country in 2026, after the presidential elections.
If deployed, the Central African Republic would join other Sahel nations that have replaced Wagner with Africa Corps following the death of Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin.
Still, plans suggest that Wagner fighters will be gradually integrated into Africa Corps once it starts operating in the country.
