Observer Alleges Touadéra Wants US$58M Share
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC · POLITICS
Key Facts
- The country The Central African Republic is a landlocked central African country where Touadéra was sworn in for a third term on 30 March 2026.
- What happened On Thursday 29 October 2026, observer Moussa Gervais-Issa said the president wants a commission on 34 billion CFA francs (about US$58 million).
- The claim He says Abu Dhabi funds 12 school, hospital and cultural complexes called Projet Kodou, and that the money is blocked at the central bank.
- The dispute He says a new apolitical team under Imam Abdoulaye Ouassélégué was elected to lead the Islamic council in early 2026, but the president favours the old interim team.
- On the record The UAE presidency reported that Touadéra met its president in Abu Dhabi on 6 March 2025, when the two countries signed a trade partnership agreement.
- Still open The interview offers no document for the fund, its donor or any payment to the president, and it carries no reply from the presidency.
A Central African community observer alleges that President Faustin-Archange Touadéra wants a share of a Gulf-funded building programme linked to the country’s Islamic community. Moussa Gervais-Issa made the claim in an interview published on Thursday 29 October 2026.
He says Abu Dhabi has paid 34 billion CFA francs (about US$58 million) for 12 school, hospital and cultural complexes. In his account the money sits blocked at the central bank, while official UAE accounts of its 2025 agreements with Bangui mention no such sum.
What Moussa Gervais-Issa Says
He describes a building programme called Projet Kodou, made up of 12 complexes with schools, hospitals and libraries. In his account, Abu Dhabi agreed to pay 34 billion CFA francs (about US$58 million), and the money has reached the central bank.
He says the project took shape in 2016 and 2017 under Imam Oumar Kobine Layama, who died in November 2020. He says rival figures began to compete for control of the project once the imam was gone.
A Fight Over Who Leads the Council
The Conseil supérieur islamique de Centrafrique is the national body of the country’s Muslims, a minority in a mostly Christian country. Gervais-Issa says a new, apolitical team under Imam Abdoulaye Ouassélégué was elected in early 2026 and installed at the National Assembly.
He says the president is blocking that team and backs the former interim leader, Ahmat Deléris Rator, who ran the council from 2020 to 2025. He alleges the president wants a commission on the money, and the interview offers no document for that charge.
What the Public Record Shows
On Thursday 6 March 2025, the UAE presidency reported, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed received Touadéra in Abu Dhabi to discuss trade, investment and energy. The two countries signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement that day, the UAE government announced, citing about US$252 million in non-oil trade for 2024.
Neither the UAE presidency’s account nor the trade announcement mentions a fund for Muslims or a sum of 34 billion CFA francs (about US$58 million). They show that Bangui and Abu Dhabi are building ties, which is the setting for the claim and not proof of it.
The Political Backdrop in Bangui
Touadéra was sworn in for a third term as president on 30 March 2026, the UN Secretary-General told the Security Council in June. The same report put turnout at 46.5% in the second round of the legislative vote on 26 April.
Five civil society leaders were arrested on Thursday 15 October, after a stay-at-home call over a fuel price rise. That case is covered in Central African Republic Holds 5 Activists.
What It Means for US Readers
The Central African Republic matters to Washington because Russian security contractors operate there and the UN keeps a large peacekeeping mission in the country. Gulf money would add a third source of outside influence, and the Russian presence near the Chad border already draws attention.
For US companies and aid groups, the point is governance, because a funding dispute inside a religious body can become a political test. Partners weighing projects tied to Abu Dhabi in the country will want documents before any commitment.
What Is Not Known
No public document seen for this story shows the 34 billion CFA francs (about US$58 million) or its donor. The interview offers no paper trail for the claim that the president wants a commission.
The interview carries no reply from the presidency, the council’s interim team or the United Arab Emirates. It is also unclear which team the community recognises as its leadership now, and whether any money has been paid out.
More: Africa news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Moussa Gervais-Issa?
The interview presents him as an observer who knows the affairs of Central African imams and their council well. It gives no official title or organisation for him.
What is the fund behind the claim?
It is the 34 billion CFA francs (about US$58 million) that he ties to a Gulf-funded programme of 12 school, hospital and cultural complexes. No official record seen for this story confirms the donor or the amount.
Has President Touadéra answered the claim?
The interview carries no response from the presidency. The allegation therefore remains one person’s account.
What is the Islamic council in the Central African Republic?
The Conseil supérieur islamique de Centrafrique is the body that speaks for the country’s Muslims. According to the interview, its leadership has been contested since early 2026.
Did Touadéra and Abu Dhabi sign any agreement?
Yes, the two countries signed a trade and investment partnership agreement during his visit on 6 March 2025. The UAE announcement gives no amount for any fund for Muslims.
Sources: UAE Presidency, meeting with the President of the Central African Republic, 6 March 2025; UAE government announcement, Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement with the Central African Republic, 6 March 2025; UN Secretary-General report to the Security Council on the Central African Republic (S/2026/494), 15 June 2026; Serbian Foreign Ministry, meeting with the Imam of the Islamic Community of the Central African Republic, 28 May 2022.
Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error