In October 2017 Faustin Archange Touadéra was in a difficult spot. The president of the Central African Republic (car), one of the world’s poorest and most fragile countries, was struggling to quell a dozen or so militias that threatened his regime. A year earlier France had withdrawn troops from its former colony. An arms embargo meant that the government of car could not equip its own soldiers. Short of options, Mr Touadéra did what desperate African leaders sometimes do: he turned to President Vladimir Putin of Russia.
The Economist: Putin flaunts Russia’s increasing influence in Africa
A Russian Air Force Tupolev Tu-160 "Blackjack", a supersonic variable-sweep wing heavy strategic bomber, is parked on the tarmac at the Waterkloof Air force Base in Centurion, south of Pretoria, northeastern South Africa, on Oct. 23, 2019.
