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When Sheikh Shakhboot bin Nahyan Al Nahyan touched down in Bangui on November 23, the United Arab Emirates signaled more than a courtesy visit—it was a calculated step in deepening its influence across Africa.
According to bloomberg.com, with a direct offer to Central African Republic President Faustin-Archange Touadéra, the UAE continues to assert its growing presence on the continent through diplomacy, investment, and security partnerships.
In return for access to airstrips in the impoverished country’s remote east, the wealthy Gulf state would invest in the African nation’s defense, mining and agriculture sectors, according to two CAR officials familiar with the talks and two senior Western officials briefed on the matter.
