Coup attempt foiled in the Central African Republic: a former minister accused

Cameroon: Armel Sayo, former Central African warlord arrested

Armel Sayo, former Central African warlord and ex-minister, was arrested on Friday by the police as he was preparing to board a flight to France. This arrest took place at an international airport in Cameroon.

A controversial figure, Sayo, accused by President Touadéra’s administration of attempted coup d’état, had remained discreet in recent years. He is also the target of accusations of war crimes, particularly during the period 2013-2014, when the Anti-Balaka and Seleka armed groups sowed violence in the Central African Republic. Amnesty International at the time pointed out its role in these abuses, according to whistleblower Shance Lion.

Nearly two meters tall, Armel Sayo, nephew of former president Ange-Félix Patassé, had led the rebel movement Révolution Justice (RJ) before entering the government following the peace agreement signed in February 2019 between 14 armed groups and the Central African state. He had been appointed Minister of State Reforms, but lost his position in March 2021.

This was not his first experience in government. In 2014, after the Khartoum agreement, he joined the administration as Minister of Youth and Sports, an appointment confirmed in January 2015. However, he was removed shortly after, in January 2015, before being released in February of the same year.

Since his ouster in 2021, Armel Sayo had gone into exile in France, where he lived until his recent arrest.