Resource geopolitics fuelling external rivalry in the CAR

The research paper argues that South Africa's military involvement in the Central African Republic (CAR) is driven by a desire to contest Western influence and secure resource interests. It highlights the CAR's wealth in diamonds, uranium, and potential oil, which has attracted Chinese investment and caused friction with France. The author notes that South Africa's efforts to resist 'western interference' have been undermined by a lack of regional diplomatic support and insufficient intelligence infrastructure, leading to a 'humiliating experience' in the face of more established international rivals.

• The Central African Republic possesses significant natural resources, including diamonds, tin, iron ore, copper, manganese, graphite, and gold, as well as undeveloped uranium reserves estimated between 15,000 and 32,000 tonnes of ore and likely oil deposits.
• South Africa is engaged in a strategic contest against the United States and France to resist Western involvement and perceived imperialist manipulation of African crises, particularly in resource-rich areas.
• Tensions between France and the CAR intensified after President Bozize granted oil exploration rights to China in 2009 following a rejection of those rights by the French company Total Oil, and after Bozize opposed the acquisition of mining rights by the French firm Areva.
• South Africa's geopolitical ambitions in the CAR were hampered by a lack of diplomatic alignment with regional bodies like the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) and a lack of the intelligence infrastructure necessary to compete with experienced international rivals.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2013). Resource geopolitics fuelling external rivalry in the CAR. https://saiia.org.za/research/resource-geopolitics-fuelling-external-rivalry-in-the-car/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. Resource geopolitics fuelling external rivalry in the CAR. 2013. https://saiia.org.za/research/resource-geopolitics-fuelling-external-rivalry-in-the-car/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=Resource geopolitics fuelling external rivalry in the CAR |date=17 April 2013 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/resource-geopolitics-fuelling-external-rivalry-in-the-car/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2013resource, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{Resource geopolitics fuelling external rivalry in the CAR}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2013}, month = apr, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/resource-geopolitics-fuelling-external-rivalry-in-the-car/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }