Central African Republic
CAR: Prime Minister Firmin Ngrebada Announces Resignation Along With Entire Cabinet
Central African Republic (CAR) Prime Minister Firmin Ngrebada on Thursday announced that he has resigned from his post along with the entire cabinet, reported France 24.
Ngrebada announced his resignation on Twitter. He informed that he had handed over his and the government’s resignation to President Faustin- Archange Touadera.
According to media reports, President Touadera’s spokesman said that Ngrebada could be asked to lead a refreshed administration.
“We will know within a few hours if the president keeps the prime minister on,” Mokpeme said.
A former chief of staff to Touadera, Ngrebada had been serving as the CAR prime minister since early 2019.
The resignation comes after France announced it has suspended aid and military support to the CAR, accusing its government of failing to respect political opposition and to cease a massive anti-French disinformation campaign.
On Monday, the French military ministry said that it considered the Central African state as “complicit” in a Russian-led anti-French campaign.
As per reports, about 160 French troops, who were providing operational support in the capital Bangui and training Central African forces have halted their mission and stopped cooperating with the country’s military.
The French government is also freezing about 10 million euros in budgetary support for the landlocked African nation.
The CAR has been witnessing deadly inter-religious and inter-communal fighting since 2013. After a 2019 peace deal, fresh violence erupted after the constitutional court rejected former President Francois Bozize’s effort to run for president again last year.
President Touadera won re-election in December 2020 but continues to face opposition from rebel groups linked to Bozize. In January, the rebel forces tried to attack the capital city Bangui, underscoring the serious threat faced by CAR’s military.
According to the United Nations, conflict displaced hundreds of thousands of people in the first months of the year, while around half the population is facing high levels of acute food insecurity.
