Central Africans Protest Against West's Interference in Country's Affairs

Hundreds of people gathered in the Central African Republic's capital city of Bangui to protest against attempts by Western countries to intervene in the country's internal affairs and their demands to stop cooperating with Russia, a Sputnik correspondent reported.

The activists who came to protest held Russian flags and banners which said "the Central African people favor its sovereignty in line with the UN Charter," "the CAR supports Russia," and "No to the West's blackmail and harassment."

Didacien Kossimatchi, one of the organizers of the demonstration, said it was a "response to the actions of the US and France, which addressed the CAR's president in order to make Russians leave the country."

"First of all, we are here to counter the interference of France and the US, Biden's administration, to say 'No! We, the Central African people, are thankful to Russians and want them to stay and not go away," said Kossimatchi.

There was another demand from the protesters which consisted of releasing the military of the CAR's army, being held hostage by rebels from the Coalition of Patriots for Change led by the country's ex-President Francois Bozize.

"This action is a prelude to a demonstration which is planned for the upcoming days. It is uncontested support for Putin's Russia for liberating the people of the Central Africa from criminals in our cities," Didacien Kossimatchi added.

Africa

Lavrov: US Bill Countering Russia in Africa Represents 'Colonial Mentality'

18 January 2023, 14:50 GMT

In May last year, the US House of Representatives passed a bill designed to counter "malign" activities of Russia in Africa, which "undermine the US objectives and interests." In accordance with the bill, Washington might take punitive measures against countries that cooperate with Moscow in different areas.

The bill has repeatedly been criticized by multiple countries' officials.

For instance, South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa during his meeting with US President Joe Biden on the margins of the December 2022 US-Africa Summit said the bill would harm Africa and "marginalize" the continent.

"We should not be told by anyone who we associate with, and we should never be put in positions where we have to choose who our friends are," Ramaphosa told the reporters after his meeting with Biden.

Along with him, the speaker of the National Assembly of Zimbabwe Jacob Mudenda stated that African countries reacted with disgust to the US bill, as it infringes on African nations' sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, in turn, emphasized he had no doubts that even those who did not comment on the bill believed "this law harms Africans first of all."

Africa

Putin Portraits, Russian Flags: Protests Reported Against Macron's Visit to DR Congo

1 March 2023, 16:20 GMT

At the same time, while the Central African Republic is seeing protests, French President Emmanuel Macron embarked March 1 on a trip to four Central African countries - Gabon, Luanda, the Republic of Congo, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

However, Macron's visit to the African nations that followed the announcement of France's plans to "reorganize its military presence in Africa" was also opposed by Africans.

In Gabon, the first country to visit on his list, where he attended the One Forest environmental summit, Africans met him with a pots-and-pans protest.

One of the organizers of anti-Macron protests, speaker of the Federation of the Civil and Anti-Francafrique Movements of Gabon Privat Ngomo, told Sputnik the action was designed to express opposition against the French heritage in Gabon.

"We oppose his visit because we know that in fact it is not the question of ecosystems and the preservation of animal or plant biodiversity that interests Macron," the politician stated. "Macron is a capitalist, and it is the capitalists who have destroyed the planet with the over-exploitation of raw materials and resources."

Along with Gabon, the Democratic Republic of Congo also saw several dozen protesters with portraits of Vladimir Putin and Russian flags, which gathered before the French Embassy in Kinshasa, the country's capital.

Among the phrases the banners showed were: "Macron is the godfather of DRC balkanization," "Congolese say no to French policy," "Macron is an unwanted guest in DRC," and "Macron is a killer, Putin to the rescue!"

Furthermore, an organizer of the DRC's protests said the country no longer needed France.

"Let the young Congolese be awake. The arrival of Emmanuel Macron, follows a plan to balkanize our homeland," one of the protesters stated, as cited by the media.