Central African Republic President Faustin-Archange Touadéra on Friday, November 24, said that the bilateral cooperation arrangement with Rwanda is fruitful, having helped to restore peace and security in his country.

ALSO READ: Rwandan troops are dependable, brave - UN Force Commander in CAR

In December 2020, Rwanda’s special forces were critical in blocking the advance – on Bangui – of the Coalition of Patriots for Change (CPC) rebel alliance led by former president François Bozize. At the time, Rwanda quickly deployed special forces under a bilateral arrangement on defence to bolster the Central African Republic’s armed forces.

Touadéra said: "It&039;s a fruitful cooperation. It started with the support to our forces by our Rwandan allies, here, since 2020 and 2021, when the country suffered an aggression from CPC.

ALSO READ: President Kagame sheds light on troop deployments in CAR

"And thanks to the cooperation with Rwanda we were able to contain the situation, and also with the Russian allies. But it doesn't stop there. It is necessary to follow up with the reinforcement of the capacity of our security forces.

"So, if peace and security has returned bit by bit today, its thanks to this cooperation that we want to continue and enhance.”

Touadéra made the remarks at a military camp just outside the capital, Bangui, where 512 Central African Armed Forces (FACA) soldiers trained by the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) were graduating. The troops were the first cohort of FACA recruits trained by RDF under a related bilateral agreement.

Touadéra acknowledged that "we still have challenges" and that is why Bangui remains thankful for the support and cooperation from Kigali. He noted, however, that the cooperation and support is not about to stop as the FACA needs more training to strengthen its capacity.

Rwanda first deployed troops to CAR in January 2014. Lately, there are more than 2,000 Rwandan soldiers serving in CAR under the UN peacekeeping mission (MINUSCA). The blue helmets protect civilians, the country’s top leaders including President Touadéra, UN personel and equipment, as well as strategic national facilities and areas including M’Poko International Airport.

Besides the peacekeepers serving under the UN peacekeeping mission, on December 20, 2020, Kigali deployed force protection troops to CAR under a bilateral agreement on defence, in response to the targeting of the RDF contingent serving under MINUSCA by forces royal to Bozize.

There are 1,200 Rwandan special forces in the country under the bilateral agreement. Their tasks include restoring peace and security, securing Bangui and its surroundings, ensuring peoples freedom of movement, as well as securing the residence of the President at Damara - a region in the prefecture of Ombella-M'Poko, located just about an hour from the capital, Bangui.