E-Paper
US says not involved with firm in Central African Republic
US says not involved with firm in Central African Republic
The US government on Thursday denied involvement in an American company's activities in the Central African Republic that have been seen as potentially challenging Russia's Wagner mercenaries for influence.
Bancroft Global Development late last month told AFP that it had "agreed on a framework to discuss possible future activities" in the troubled country but denied having sent personnel.
The State Department, spokesman Vedant Patel said Thursday, has not sent any "green light" to Bancroft.
"The State Department was not involved in the reported decision of Bancroft Global Development to establish a reported presence in CAR, nor has the State Department sought the involvement of any private military company in CAR," Patel told reporters.
He said the United States more broadly sought a "prosperous Central African Republic that respects human rights and the rule of law."
The Central African Republic has said it is trying to diversify relations. Wagner has been heavily involved in the country and other conflict-ridden African states such as Mali, where the Russian-led mercenaries have supported security forces and been accused of rights violations.
Wagner faces restructuring by Moscow after it grew so powerful that it mounted a mutiny inside Russia last year, with the group's leader Yevgeny Prigozhin killed in a suspicious plane crash two months later.
US private security companies often have ties with the government, with the State Department a top funder of Bancroft and former US troops providing staff, but the relationships are unofficial with the firms not working under government control.
Bancroft, headquartered in Washington, was founded to clear landmines before turning into a wider private security company, with a longstanding presence in training forces in troubled Somalia.
sct/caw
