Abstrakt
The Central African Republic (CAR) has historically never been synonymous with political stability or effective governance by the state administration. Despite being resource-rich, it followed a pattern common to many post-colonial states; being unable to turn the resource wealth into functioning institutions nor provide resources to its population.
The paper maps utilization of one such tool, (semi-)private military companies, by the Russian government. The relation that began by late 2017 had a crucial impact on the government in Bangui.
By utilizing theories of neo-colonialism, neo-imperialism, proxy warfare and state capture, it attempts to answer the question of the role of WG in the CAR. Specifically, it highlights whether the presence of Russian troops in the country can be conceptualized as an attempt to aid a legitimate government or rather an external, proxy method to capture the government of resource-rich but internally weak state located in the heart of the African continent.