Following tumultuous elections in December 2020, a coalition of major rebel groups launched a rebellion. To counter it, President Faustin-Archange Touadéra changed strategy entirely and sought new allies, receiving help from Rwandan troops and mercenaries from the Russian Wagner Group. The army and its allies were able to recapture most of the country’s territory, albeit at the cost of significant civilian casualties. In response, France withdrew its military presence, and traditional Western partners and donors have partially frozen or delayed their budget support.
A wide range of human rights violations have been reported, resulting in the displacement of thousands of people. By November 2022, there were over 744,000 refugees and asylum-seekers in neighboring countries. The country remains one of the poorest and most fragile in the world. Its heavy dependency on exporting natural resources makes it particularly vulnerable.
Weak governance and public institutions have failed to adequately provide basic services to the population. The lack of coherent horizontal policy coordination guarantees at best conflict, redundant policy objectives and confusion, and at worst increased negligence, corruption, concessionary politics and discontent among all stakeholders.
