REFLEXIVE PEACE PRACTICE (RPP)TAFAKARI

This week brought a serious, if belatedly reported, human-rights allegation alongside a major diplomatic moment. National investigative reporting, aired 22 September, implicated FACA soldiers in the extrajudicial killing of three villagers accused of witchcraft in Ouadda-Maïkkaga on 15 September, an incident that occurred just before the previous reporting window but only became public knowledge this week. Separately, President Touadéra addressed the 81st UN General Assembly on 23 September, calling for a progressive drawdown of MINUSCA. In a notable admission, Dimitri Sytyi, head of Russia's "Maison russe" in Bangui, acknowledged on national radio that Central African and foreign fighters trained and armed by Wagner were integrated into FACA as so-called "Wagner noirs." No new confirmed clash between armed groups was identified this week. Still, the combination of alleged soldier-perpetrated killings and confirmation of an irregular, Wagner-linked force embedded within the national army keeps the rating at "Critical."