<p id="thickbox_headline">The Central African Republic's prime minister has been sacked, the presidency confirmed Monday, against the backdrop of tensions between pro-Russian and pro-French factions within the government of the poor, unstable country.</p>.<p>Henri-Marie Dondra had been named prime minister in June 2021, shortly after Paris froze budgetary aid to its former colony, accusing it of "complicity" in what it called a Russian "disinformation" campaign against France.</p>.<p>Presidency spokesman Albert Yaloke Mokpeme told <em>AFP </em>that Dondra was "fired" and replaced by his economy minister, Felix Moloua, confirming a weekend report by online news website Africa Intelligence.</p>.<p>President Faustin-Archange Touadera was attending an African Union summit in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa at the time.</p>.<p>Russia's influence in the Central African Republic (CAR) has increased steadily over the past four years, and in late 2020 Russian military contractors helped quell a rebellion against Touadera.</p>.<p>At the time of Dondra's appointment as prime minister he was perceived as more "pro-French" than his predecessor Firmin Ngrebada, seen as more sympathetic to the Russians.</p>.<p>"Touadera had named Dondra because he was close to international donors and he had good relations with France," said Roland Marchal, a researcher at Sciences Po university in Paris.</p>.<p>But Dondra had "little control" over the defence and foreign ministers as well as the influential pro-Russian parliament speaker, Simplice Sarandji, Marchal told <em>AFP</em>.</p>.<p>A civil war broke out in the CAR in 2013, pitting myriad militias against a state on the verge of collapse.</p>.<p>The fighting had lessened considerably in recent years, but it resumed abruptly when rebels launched their failed offensive to overthrow Touadera.</p>.<p>The UN accused both sides in the fighting of human rights abuses.</p>.<p>The private military contractors are often described as belonging to the "Wagner group" -- an entity with no known legal status.</p>.<p>Last week the European Union said it would resume a suspended military training mission in the CAR if the country's soldiers stopped working for Wagner.</p>.<p><strong>Watch the latest DH videos:</strong></p>
<p id="thickbox_headline">The Central African Republic's prime minister has been sacked, the presidency confirmed Monday, against the backdrop of tensions between pro-Russian and pro-French factions within the government of the poor, unstable country.</p>.<p>Henri-Marie Dondra had been named prime minister in June 2021, shortly after Paris froze budgetary aid to its former colony, accusing it of "complicity" in what it called a Russian "disinformation" campaign against France.</p>.<p>Presidency spokesman Albert Yaloke Mokpeme told <em>AFP </em>that Dondra was "fired" and replaced by his economy minister, Felix Moloua, confirming a weekend report by online news website Africa Intelligence.</p>.<p>President Faustin-Archange Touadera was attending an African Union summit in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa at the time.</p>.<p>Russia's influence in the Central African Republic (CAR) has increased steadily over the past four years, and in late 2020 Russian military contractors helped quell a rebellion against Touadera.</p>.<p>At the time of Dondra's appointment as prime minister he was perceived as more "pro-French" than his predecessor Firmin Ngrebada, seen as more sympathetic to the Russians.</p>.<p>"Touadera had named Dondra because he was close to international donors and he had good relations with France," said Roland Marchal, a researcher at Sciences Po university in Paris.</p>.<p>But Dondra had "little control" over the defence and foreign ministers as well as the influential pro-Russian parliament speaker, Simplice Sarandji, Marchal told <em>AFP</em>.</p>.<p>A civil war broke out in the CAR in 2013, pitting myriad militias against a state on the verge of collapse.</p>.<p>The fighting had lessened considerably in recent years, but it resumed abruptly when rebels launched their failed offensive to overthrow Touadera.</p>.<p>The UN accused both sides in the fighting of human rights abuses.</p>.<p>The private military contractors are often described as belonging to the "Wagner group" -- an entity with no known legal status.</p>.<p>Last week the European Union said it would resume a suspended military training mission in the CAR if the country's soldiers stopped working for Wagner.</p>.<p><strong>Watch the latest DH videos:</strong></p>