By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Central African Republic (CAR) has unveiled an edifice in honour of the late leader of Russia’s mercenary Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin who died in plane crash last year at a moment he had frosty relations with Russian President, Vladimir Putin.
The monument was “part of the bilateral relationship” between CAR and Russia, statement by the CAR national police said.
The statue of Prigozhin is located in the country’s capital Bangui, alongside that of his close ally, Dmitru Utkin. It shows Prigozhin in bullet-proof clothing, holding a walkie-talkie next to his colleague who holds an AK-47 rifle.
Since 2018, Wagner fighters have been in CAR following their invitation by President Faustin-Archange Touadéra to help tackle rebel groups.
They also have presence in several other African countries but their most significant presence is in CAR.
The ceremony to unveil the statues was attended by Defence Minister Rameau Claude Bireau and top military officials.
Prigozhin and Utkin died alongside others on 23 August 2023, after their private jet came down north-west of Moscow, killing all those on board.
The plane crash happened two months after their aborted mutiny in Russia.
Putin has been accused of having a hand in Prigozhin’s death, an allegation the Kremlin has denied.
President Touadéra has defended the continued presence of Wagner fighters in the country.
“It was said that 80% of the territory was occupied by armed groups. Today, thanks to this co-operation, these figures are completely reversed,” he told the BBC in an interview last December.
CAR has one of the world’s poorest populations despite being rich in diamonds, gold, oil and uranium.
It has been almost continuously unstable since independence from France in 1960.
Fighting breaks out occasionally between rebels and the Wagner-backed national army, but violence has drastically reduced.
Critics say President Toudera’s government is supported by the Russian mercenaries and other groups in exchange for exploiting the country’s resources.
Subsidiaries of Wagner Group have won contracts in CAR to operate gold and diamond mines.
Prigozhin founded Wagner in 2014, initially working mostly in the Middle East and Africa before being deployed to Ukraine at the start of 2022.
