Central African Republic (CAR) has signed a military deal with Russia that will allow for Moscow to set up training camps for CAR’s armed forces. The deal was inked in late August at a state arms exhibition near Moscow attended by the two countries’ defense ministers.
The agreement is set to benefit CAR which has been dealing with a civil war and rebels following the toppling of a regime by Islamists that spurred a sectarian war between Christians and Muslims in the country. Russia delivered light arms to the Central African Republic’s security forces earlier this year and said it had deployed 175 military and civilian instructors to train them.
The Russian-CAR military deal is set to increase the capabilities of the African nation’s armed forces and especially equip them with skills to fight insurgencies in the country. Russia has been slowly building military and diplomatic relationships with African nations as it seeks to create and maintain allies in the continent.
