Action film glorifies Russian fighters in Central African Republic

RUSSIAN mercenaries accused of carrying out human rights abuses in the Central African Republic (CAR) have been portrayed as heroes in an action film designed to win the hearts and minds of locals.

More than 10,000 people have attended screenings of Russian-funded Tourist in the country’s capital, Bangui, while trailers for the movie have been watched millions of times online.

The film tells the story of a group of Russian military advisers helping train soldiers in the war-torn land, where Christian and Muslim militias have been fighting since rebels ousted former president François Bozizé in 2013.

Part truth, part fiction and part propaganda, the movie hails a Russian hero with deep blue eyes called “the tourist” who helps save a conflict-ridden African nation. The storyline is complete with loud explosions and action-packed scenes filmed in the CAR jungle, as well as swipes at Western armies.

“Americans are fighting for democracy, right? As for us, we’re fighting for justice,” says an instructor in the movie.

The film has been called “a valuable indicator of Russia’s growing influence in the Central African Republic” by local newspaper Corbeau News Centrafrique, which called the Bangui screenings a “success”.

Russia began to expand into CAR in 2017, providing weapons, contractors and mercenaries to prop up the beleaguered government in Bangui.

Security guards employed by Russian companies, such as the private military contractor Wagner Group, started to train local forces and protect President Faustin-Archange Touadéra. It is thought this arrangement gives Moscow considerable influence over Mr Touadéra and his government, which has given Kremlin-linked firms contracts to mine and export diamonds.

Wagner Group operatives have also been reported in Libya, Sudan, and Guinea, as part of wider efforts by the Kremlin to regain its Soviet-era footholds across Africa. The mercenaries in CAR, whose presence the Kremlin has never acknowledged, have been linked to human rights abuses including mass summary executions, arbitrary detention, torture during interrogation and the forced displacement of civilians.

A recent report by a UN group of experts found the hundreds of contractors present in the country were involved in a series of violent attacks since elections in December.

The movie is thought to have been funded by Russian magnate Yevgeny Prigozhin, a close Putin ally who founded the Wagner Group. He also owns a catering business and media companies, and is known for hosting the Russian president’s dinners with foreign dignitaries.

Wagner emerged in eastern Ukraine in 2015 and gained a major presence in Syria, where it supported President Bashar al-Assad’s troops. The Kremlin has denied that any Russians are fighting in a private capacity in Syria or CAR, while the Russian defence ministry has insisted that only Russian military advisers are in CAR.