A leading opposition figure in the Central African Republic, Anicet-Georges Dologuele, has accused authorities of abusing state power after he was prevented from leaving the country over a dispute regarding his citizenship.
Dologuele, a former prime minister and prominent critic of President Faustin-Archange Touadera, said he was stopped on Tuesday while attempting to board a flight to Addis Ababa, where he was scheduled to attend a meeting of the African Union Peace Fund.
According to him, the Interior Ministry ruled that he was no longer entitled to a Central African passport and barred him from travelling, a move he described as an “abuse of power.”
The development stems from an ongoing legal dispute after a court ruling in October declared that Dologuele had lost his Central African citizenship due to his possession of French nationality.
The opposition leader said he had relinquished his French passport in August to qualify for the December presidential election, in which he challenged Touadera.
Following the election, which saw Touadera secure nearly 78 percent of the vote, Dologuele rejected the outcome, alleging widespread irregularities and filing an appeal.
The election was also boycotted by sections of the opposition after constitutional changes in 2023 allowed the president to seek a third term.
Dologuele has previously contested presidential elections in 2016 and 2020, finishing as runner-up on both occasions amid concerns over the credibility of the polls.
