Authorities in the Central African Republic announced on Tuesday the arrest of a French aid worker employed by the charity Doctors Without Borders, accused of “threatening security”. The arrest comes days ahead of a visit to the country by the French Foreign Minister, Jean-Noël Barrot.
The Central African Republic (CAR) defence ministry said the Doctors Without Borders (MSF) aid worker was arrested last Wednesday near the southeastern town of Zemio, suspected of "activities aimed at destabilising the security situation" in the region.
The ministry accused the suspect of having "contacts with criminal elements" and working towards "subversive agitation among the local population of the Azande ethnic group" to "turn them against the legally elected authorities" in the country.
In a statement released on Tuesday morning, MSF Switzerland confirmed its support for its employee François Zamparini and said it is working "to clarify this situation in collaboration with the competent authorities".
Zamparini was arrested with a colleague originally from CAR and is now being held in Bangui.
The announcement was made days before France's top diplomat, Jean-Noël Barrot, is due to arrive in the country for the first visit to Bangui by a French foreign minister for seven years.
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Barrot is to meet President Faustin Archange Touadera on Thursday.
The French foreign ministry said the humanitarian worker was working in the Zapay Azande refugee camp in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and travelled to the town of Zemio, in the CAR, "on an ad hoc basis as part of his professional activities" and "within the strict framework of this project".
But according to the CAR defence ministry, the aid worker entered the country illegally from the DRC, bypassing established border crossings, and did not have any documents justifying his presence on Central African territory.
The CAR communication ministry issued a statement saying Zamparini had already been arrested in the CAR in 2016 after serving as a trainer for Armel Sayo's rebel group in the west of the country for two years.
However, Zampirini was working in Syria and Lebanon at that time, as evidenced by several media appearances.
Deteriorating relations
"This case is being followed very closely by the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and our embassy in the Central African Republic, which has been able to ensure that he is doing well," the French ministry said, adding that the embassy "is in close dialogue with the Central African authorities on this matter".
Relations between the CAR and its former colonial power France have deteriorated sharply in recent years, as Russia has strengthened its influence in the country.
While the security situation in the CAR has improved after the bloody civil war of the 2010s, the town of Zemio and the Upper Mbomou prefecture, on the border with South Sudan and DRC, are particularly sensitive areas for the authorities.
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Clashes in early January pitted the Central African army, supported by Russian paramilitaries, against the Azande Ani Kpi Gbè (AAKG) militia, an armed group from the Azande community, the majority in the region.
In its statement, the Central African Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported "attempts at external interference and the dissemination of disinformation in the area, aimed at undermining public confidence in the legitimate authorities and their allies".
Zampirini's situation is similar to that of Joseph Figueira – a Belgian-Portuguese researcher who was arrested in the same area in May 2024 while on assignment for an American NGO.
He was subsequently given a heavy sentence for "undermining state security" and remains in detention at Camp Roux in Bangui.
During his recent visit to the CAR, the Portuguese president had hoped to secure a medical evacuation, but to no avail.
According to several sources, Figueira is considered "a hostage of the Russians."
(with newswires)
