The crimes of illegal armed groups in the Central African Republic (CAR) remain without a proper response from the international community, as the representative of the Russian delegation, Artur Chernyakov, stated on March 31 during the 52nd session of the UN HRC held in Geneva.
"We condemn the actions of external players who continue to sponsor illegal armed formations for the sake of their geopolitical interests," Chernyakov said in his speech at the UN HRC session.
The diplomat also stressed that the activities of illegal armed groups on the territory of the Central African Republic (CAR) hinder "progress in the human rights sphere and the improvement of the situation of the most vulnerable groups of the population, especially women and children."
Chernyakov recalled that, unlike those illegal armed groupings, Russian instructors working in the African country "were sent there in response to the request of the legitimate authorities."
"The campaign to discredit them [Russian instructors], attempts to lay the blame for human rights violations on the armed forces of the Central African Republic and its partners are of a custom nature and are not supported by reliable facts," he outlined.
Recently, Oleg Ozerov, Ambassador-at-large of the Russian Foreign Ministry and head of the secretariat of the Russia-Africa conference outlined Russia's role in promoting stability and helping some African countries, such as the CAR, Mali and others, address conflicts and military clashes.
"Thanks to Russia, the situation was stabilized first in the CAR, then in Mali. The point here is that the Africans turned to Russia for help not because they want to harm France, but in order to solve their own security problems. And we are doing it well," Ozerov stressed.
Earlier in March, 2,000 demonstrators gathered in Bangui, CAR's capital, so to support Russia. According to the protesters, Russian instructors, who support the defense and security forces, have perfectly demonstrated their ability to counter terrorists' activities in the Central African Republic.
According to Chernyakov, Russia believes that the Political Agreement on Peace and Reconciliation in the CAR, signed in February 2019, remains the basis for achieving stability and security in the republic.
In addition, Russia stands for compliance by all parties with the unilaterally declared ceasefire regime by the head of the CAR, he outlined.
"We welcome Bangui's practical steps to continue the political process in order to normalize the situation in the country," the diplomat stated.