The Central African Republic’s (CAR) presidency on Friday announced the appointment of former finance minister Henri Marie Dondra as the country’s new prime minister, reported Al Jazeera.
The appointment announcement came a day after former Prime Minister Firmin Ngrebada announced his resignation and that of his government following legislative elections. A former chief of staff to Touadera, Ngrebada had been serving as the CAR prime minister since early 2019.
There were rumors that CAR President Faustin- Archange Touadera was thinking of restoring Ngrebada as the prime minister to lead a refreshed administration. But, Dondra’s appointment has put an end to all the rumors.
The CAR has seen waves of deadly intercommunal violence since 2013 that have killed thousands of people and displaced many more. 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.
Ngrebada’s resignation and subsequent appointment of Dondra came a week after France announced it has decided to suspend 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.
Earlier this week, the French military ministry said that it considered the Central African state as “complicit” in a Russian-led anti-French campaign, notably targeting the country’s ambassador and defense attaché.
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 has also freezed about 10 million euros in budgetary support for the landlocked African nation.
