Latest news with #Touadera
The Star
26-07-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Central African Republic's Touadera announces bid for third term
FILE PHOTO: Central African Republic's President Faustin-Archange Touadera arrives before a dinner with several heads of state and government and leaders of international organisations at the Elysee Palace, as part of the 19th Francophonie Summit, in Paris, France, October 4, 2024. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo BANGUI (Reuters) -Central African Republic's President Faustin-Archange Touadera said on Saturday he will run for a third term later this year, seeking to extend his rule into a second decade after scrapping term limits in 2023. "Many of you have asked for me, and my answer is yes. I am your candidate for the presidential election of December 2025," the 68-year-old said at a meeting of his party, the United Hearts Movement, in the capital Bangui. "We will continue the work of rebuilding our country." Since taking office in 2016, Touadera has enlisted outside forces to stay in power amid a persistent civil conflict, including mercenaries from Russia's Wagner militia, who intervened in 2018 on the side of the government. Landlocked Central African Republic, roughly the size of France and with a population of around 5.5 million, is deeply impoverished despite being rich in resources including gold, diamonds and timber. It has witnessed waves of instability, including coups and rebellions, since independence from France in 1960. Touadera won a second term in 2020, though militants including the Coalition of Patriots for Change (CPC) have fought to overturn that result. The army, backed by United Nations peacekeepers and Russian and Rwandan troops, has been fighting the group for years. Touadera's current term was supposed to be his last, but in 2023 the country held a constitutional referendum that abolished the two-term limit and extended the presidential mandate from five to seven years. Opposition parties and civil society groups have said the new constitution, which was backed by more than 95% of voters, could allow Touadera to stay in power for life. The exact date of the December vote has not been announced. (Reporting by Pacome Pabandji; Writing by Anait Miridzhanian and Ayen Deng Bior; Editing by Robbie Corey-Boulet and Jan Harvey)
Straits Times
26-07-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Central African Republic's Touadera announces bid for third term
Find out what's new on ST website and app. FILE PHOTO: Central African Republic's President Faustin-Archange Touadera arrives before a dinner with several heads of state and government and leaders of international organisations at the Elysee Palace, as part of the 19th Francophonie Summit, in Paris, France, October 4, 2024. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo BANGUI - Central African Republic's President Faustin-Archange Touadera said on Saturday he will run for a third term later this year, seeking to extend his rule into a second decade after scrapping term limits in 2023. "Many of you have asked for me, and my answer is yes. I am your candidate for the presidential election of December 2025," the 68-year-old said at a meeting of his party, the United Hearts Movement, in the capital Bangui. "We will continue the work of rebuilding our country." Since taking office in 2016, Touadera has enlisted outside forces to stay in power amid a persistent civil conflict, including mercenaries from Russia's Wagner militia, who intervened in 2018 on the side of the government. Landlocked Central African Republic, roughly the size of France and with a population of around 5.5 million, is deeply impoverished despite being rich in resources including gold, diamonds and timber. It has witnessed waves of instability, including coups and rebellions, since independence from France in 1960. Touadera won a second term in 2020, though militants including the Coalition of Patriots for Change (CPC) have fought to overturn that result. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Woman taken to hospital after car falls into sinkhole on Tanjong Katong Road Singapore Students hide vapes in underwear, toilet roll holders: S'pore schools grapple with vaping scourge Singapore 'I've tried everything': Mum helpless as son's Kpod addiction spirals out of control Singapore NDP 2025: How Benjamin Kheng is whisked from Marina Bay to Padang in 10 minutes by boat, buggy Singapore Almost half of planned 30,000 HDB flats in Tengah to be completed by end-2025: Chee Hong Tat Singapore From libraries to living rooms: How reading habits take root in underserved S'pore children Asia Thai-Cambodia clashes spread along frontier as death toll rises Asia Thousands rally in downtown Kuala Lumpur for resignation of PM Anwar The army, backed by United Nations peacekeepers and Russian and Rwandan troops, has been fighting the group for years. Touadera's current term was supposed to be his last, but in 2023 the country held a constitutional referendum that abolished the two-term limit and extended the presidential mandate from five to seven years. Opposition parties and civil society groups have said the new constitution, which was backed by more than 95% of voters, could allow Touadera to stay in power for life. The exact date of the December vote has not been announced. REUTERS
Express Tribune
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Power blast triggers stampede, 29 students killed in Central African Republic
Central African Republic announced three day of mourning after the incident. PHOTO:SCMP Twenty-nine students taking their high school exams in the Central African Republic died in a stampede sparked by an exploding power transformer, the health ministry told AFP Thursday. Just over 5,300 students were sitting the second day of the baccalaureat exams at the time of the explosion early Wednesday afternoon in Bangui, the capital of the deeply poor nation. In the ensuing panic, supervisors and students tried to flee, some jumping from the first floor of the school. The injured were transported by ambulance, on the back of pickup trucks or by motorbike taxi, AFP journalists saw. "I would like to express my solidarity and compassion to the parents of the deceased candidates, to the educational staff, to the students," President Faustin Archange Touadera said in a video published on his party's Facebook page. Touadera, who is attending a summit of the Gavi vaccine alliance in Brussels, also announced three days of national mourning. According to a document circulating on social media and authenticated by the health ministry, 29 deaths were registered by hospitals in the city. "The hospital was overwhelmed by people to the point of obstructing caregivers and ambulances, a health ministry source stated. UN peacekeepers, police and other security were seen around the Barthelemy Boganda high school and hospitals. Education Minister Aurelien-Simplice Kongbelet-Zingas said in a statement Wednesday that "measures will be taken quickly to shed light on the circumstances of this incident". The minister added that a further statement would follow regarding selection of a date for the students to resume their exams programme. The Republican Bloc for the Defence of the Constitution (BRDC), a coalition of opposition parties, condemned what it termed "the irresponsibility of the authorities in place, who have failed in their duty to ensure the safety of students and school infrastructure." The CAR is among the poorest countries in the world and, since independence from France in 1960, has endured a succession of coups, authoritarian rulers and civil wars. The latest civil war started more than a decade ago. The government has secured the main cities and violence has subsided in recent years. But fighting occasionally erupts in remote regions between rebels and the national army, which is backed by Wagner mercenaries and Rwandan troops. Municipal, legislative, and presidential elections are scheduled for August and December of this year but UN experts are calling for urgent institutional reform of the electoral authority before the polls and for "transparent internal governance," as tensions between the government and the opposition intensify.
Al Arabiya
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
29 students killed in stampede in Central African Republic
Twenty-nine students taking their high school exams in the Central African Republic died in a stampede sparked by an exploding power transformer, the health ministry told AFP Thursday. Just over 5,300 students were sitting the second day of the baccalaureat exams at the time of the explosion early Wednesday afternoon in Bangui, the capital of the deeply poor nation. In the ensuing panic, supervisors and students tried to flee, some jumping from the first floor of the school. The injured were transported by ambulance, on the back of pickup trucks or by motorbike taxi, AFP journalists saw. 'I would like to express my solidarity and compassion to the parents of the deceased candidates, to the educational staff, to the students,' President Faustin Archange Touadera said in a video published on his party's Facebook page. Touadera, who is attending a summit of the Gavi vaccine alliance in Brussels, also announced three days of national mourning. According to a document circulating on social media and authenticated by the health ministry, 29 deaths were registered by hospitals in the city. 'The hospital was overwhelmed by people to the point of obstructing caregivers and ambulances, a health ministry source stated. UN peacekeepers, police and other security were seen around the Barthelemy Boganda high school and hospitals. Education Minister Aurelien-Simplice Kongbelet-Zingas said in a statement Wednesday that 'measures will be taken quickly to shed light on the circumstances of this incident'. The minister added that a further statement would follow regarding selection of a date for the students to resume their exams programme. The Republican Bloc for the Defense of the Constitution (BRDC), a coalition of opposition parties, condemned what it termed 'the irresponsibility of the authorities in place, who have failed in their duty to ensure the safety of students and school infrastructure.' The CAR is among the poorest countries in the world and, since independence from France in 1960, has endured a succession of coups, authoritarian rulers and civil wars. The latest civil war started more than a decade ago. The government has secured the main cities and violence has subsided in recent years. But fighting occasionally erupts in remote regions between rebels and the national army, which is backed by Wagner mercenaries and Rwandan troops. Municipal, legislative, and presidential elections are scheduled for August and December of this year but UN experts are calling for urgent institutional reform of the electoral authority before the polls and for 'transparent internal governance,' as tensions between the government and the opposition intensify.
Arab News
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
29 pupils taking high school exams killed in Central Africa crush
BANGUI: Twenty-nine students taking their high school exams in the Central African Republic died in a stampede sparked by an exploding power transformer, the health ministry told AFP Thursday. Just over 5,300 students were sitting the second day of the baccalaureate exams at the time of the explosion early Wednesday afternoon in Bangui, the capital of the deeply poor nation. In the ensuing panic, supervisors and students tried to flee, some jumping from the first floor of the school. The injured were transported by ambulance, on the back of pickup trucks or by motorbike taxi, AFP journalists saw. 'I would like to express my solidarity and compassion to the parents of the deceased candidates, to the educational staff, to the students,' President Faustin Archange Touadera said in a video published on his party's Facebook page. Touadera, who is attending a summit of the Gavi vaccine alliance in Brussels, also announced three days of national mourning. According to a document circulating on social media and authenticated by the health ministry, 29 deaths were registered by hospitals in the city. 'The hospital was overwhelmed by people to the point of obstructing caregivers and ambulances, a health ministry source stated. UN peacekeepers, police and other security were seen around the Barthelemy Boganda high school and hospitals. Education Minister Aurelien-Simplice Kongbelet-Zingas said in a statement Wednesday that 'measures will be taken quickly to shed light on the circumstances of this incident.' The minister added that a further statement would follow regarding selection of a date for the students to resume their exams program. The Republican Bloc for the Defense of the Constitution (BRDC), a coalition of opposition parties, condemned what it termed 'the irresponsibility of the authorities in place, who have failed in their duty to ensure the safety of students and school infrastructure.' The CAR is among the poorest countries in the world and, since independence from France in 1960, has endured a succession of coups, authoritarian rulers and civil wars. The latest civil war started more than a decade ago. The government has secured the main cities and violence has subsided in recent years. But fighting occasionally erupts in remote regions between rebels and the national army, which is backed by Wagner mercenaries and Rwandan troops. Municipal, legislative, and presidential elections are scheduled for August and December of this year but UN experts are calling for urgent institutional reform of the electoral authority before the polls and for 'transparent internal governance,' as tensions between the government and the opposition intensify.
