No Russian Troops in Central African Republic, Ambassador Says

Vladimir Titorenko, the Russian ambassador to the Central African Republic (CAR), denied that his country had sent military personnel to assist local authorities in the fight against rebel groups.

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"Apart from the five members of the Russian Defense Ministry's mission to the CAR Defense Ministry in Bangui and the 14 Russian officers of the UN peacekeeping mission MINURCA, there are no other Russian military personnel here," the diplomat said.

Titorenko explained that Russian instructors from private security companies are working in this African country under contracts with the President Faustin-Archange Touadera's administration.

These comments occurred in response to information emanating from the French press, according to which hundreds of Russian military personnel were in this African country to help the government quell an attempted rebellion.

The Russian ambassador ruled out that there is a danger of a coup d'etat in the CAR, where presidential and legislative elections will be held on Dec. 27.

"The only thing that exists is the illegal activities of ex-President Francois Bozize, who is trying to destabilize the situation and halt the elections," Titorenko said and commented that the CAR Constitutional Court prevented Bozize from participating in the elections.

The African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat said he was deeply concerned about the evolution of the political situation in the CAR.

He also condemned "strongly the resurgence of acts of violence in certain regions of the country that caused the loss of human lives and aimed to interrupt the electoral process."