Central African Republic: opposition criticizes first six months of President Touadéra's new term
The opposition platform BRDC issued a highly critical assessment of the first six months of President Faustin-Archange Touadéra's new term, citing a lack of basic social services and weak economic opportunities and accusing the government of not respecting Constitutional Court decisions. At a press conference on 11 September, BRDC spokesperson Martin Ziguélé questioned the government about gold mining, noting that the government itself reported more than 100 mining permits and that figures circulating mention annual gold export value above 300 billion CFA francs, while the state budget records less than 5 billion CFA francs in taxes from the sector. Touadéra defended his record, citing progress in security, health, energy and education since 2016, and the government acknowledged that many challenges remain.
Why it matters: This matters for the briefing's theme of resource governance, because the opposition's questions directly link gold export earnings to state revenue and demand transparency about the Ndassima mine.