Sunday's elections in the Central African Republic are expected to be "peaceful," the head of the Russian paramilitaries present there told AFP, while indicating that they were "preparing to repel any provocation" in the country, which has been troubled by decades of armed conflict.

This former French colony, rich in natural resources, remains the last stronghold of the Wagner Group, where it has established itself as one of the government's main security partners in exchange for lucrative contracts in gold or diamonds.

A few days before a day of voting across the country for the presidential, legislative, municipal and regional elections, Alexander Ivanov, representative of the Russian paramilitaries in the Central African Republic, agreed to answer AFP's questions in writing.

"Russian specialists are taking this mission very seriously and are preparing to repel any provocation," he said. "For now, everything seems to indicate that peaceful and secure elections are possible."

Mr. Ivanov is subject to sanctions from the European Union and the United States as the head of the Officers' Union for International Security (OUIS), an entity considered to be a Wagner front company.

He insists that his organization is separate, while admitting that YES employs "very experienced" Wagner fighters.

Several human rights organizations accuse Wagner paramilitaries of committing serious human rights violations, including acts of torture and murder, in several countries, including the Central African Republic.

According to Alexander Ivanov, YES is striving to allow the elections to take place "in peace and security".

"However, there remain some areas in CAR – mainly along the border – where rebels continue to operate. The Central African defense and security forces, in collaboration with Russian military specialists, are therefore on high alert," he said.

The outgoing president, Faustin-Archange Touadéra, 68, who is seeking a third term and boasts of having brought the country out of instability, is the favorite.

- "Complete success" -

Deployed since 2018 at the request of Mr. Touadéra to reinforce a disorganized and under-equipped army, Wagner fighters have played a key role in the relative stabilization of the country.

During the 2020 presidential election, they notably repelled, along with the Rwandan army, an attempt to overthrow President Touadéra by several armed groups.

Alexander Ivanov declined to comment on discussions between the Central African Republic and the Russian Ministry of Defense, which has been seeking to replace Wagner with the Africa Corps group since the death in 2023 in Russia of Wagner's historic leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, who had defied Moscow's authority.

"I cannot comment on the actions of Africa Corps, but I wish them every success in their mission to ensure peace for all those who need their help," he simply stated, adding that relations between the two countries are "excellent."

"For the first time in the long history of the armed conflict, Central Africans can no longer fear for their lives," added Mr. Ivanov.

In addition to training the army, the Russians have disarmed some 2,000 rebels since the beginning of the year, and have received "letters of thanks" from residents of towns like Batangafo and Boda, as well as requests for help in building hospitals or repairing bridges, he said.

Western security companies have also expressed interest in working in the Central African Republic, where authorities are seeking to diversify their strategic partnerships.

At the end of 2023, the American private security company Bancroft Global Development announced that it was in discussions with the Central African government.

According to Alexander Ivanov, Russian companies have the advantage of not relying "on an arsenal of heavy machinery and excessive bureaucracy, unlike American military specialists."