Relationship dossier
Central African Republic
United States
Relationship assessment
U.S. assistance and peacekeeping support coexist with tensions over Russian influence and sanctions.
Central African Republic toward United States
Not assessedUnited States toward Central African Republic
+15The United States has provided humanitarian and development assistance to the Central African Republic and supported international peacekeeping efforts. It has also imposed sanctions on actors accused of destabilizing the country, including Russian-linked Wagner networks.
Overall relationship
Not assessedHow to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
The United States has provided humanitarian and development assistance to the Central African Republic and supported international peacekeeping efforts there. U.S. policy has also included sanctions targeting actors accused of undermining peace, including Russian-linked Wagner networks operating in the country. Information about concrete Central African government cooperation with the United States is insufficient to assess that aspect of the relationship.
Areas of tension
- U.S. sanctions targeting Wagner-linked networks and other actors operating in the Central African Republic.
- U.S. concerns about Russian influence and its implications for stability and governance in the Central African Republic.
Key developments
The United States deployed military personnel to support efforts to capture Lord's Resistance Army leader Joseph Kony in Central Africa, including operations connected to the Central African Republic.
The United States designated the Wagner Group a transnational criminal organization and imposed sanctions on entities associated with it, including networks active in the Central African Republic.
Major uncertainties
- The extent of direct security and development cooperation between the two governments is unclear.
- The Central African government's current approach to U.S. engagement amid its closer ties with Russia is uncertain.