President Faustin Touadera of the Central African Republic (CAR) says the country continues to count on Russia’s assistance in major areas of cooperation, including security.

Touadera, who recently won re-election in the gold- and diamond-rich nation, was responding to questions on the rumoured planned withdrawal of Russian military instructors and defence equipment from the C.A.R.

Touadera remarked that he has so far not been officially informed of the situation and he does not think so.

“Knowing the situation, we, therefore, call on the Russian Federation to continue to support us in the field of security, and many others.”

Earlier this week, reports citing Russian diplomats claimed the European country was pulling its defence forces from the country. C.A.R was recently rocked by several targeted attacks on UN peacekeepers, including the latest ambush which occurred on Monday.

Touadera states that his cabinet would carry on with the previously started schemes for security and peace, as well as launch several infrastructure and energy projects, and enhance agriculture in his second term in office.

The C.A.R’s top court confirmed Touadera’s victory in the on Dec. 27 presidential election on Monday.

The Presidential candidate of the National Unity Platform (NUP) in the Uganda election, Robert Kyagulanyi a.k.a Bobi Wine, has filed an arbitrary detention complaint to the United Nations (UN).

The Ugandan military has since Friday surrounded Bobi Wine’s house, a day after Uganda conducted presidential elections, barring him from going out or receiving visitors.

In a tweet on Wednesday, Bobi Wine, said: “Nigerian human rights lawyer Femi Falana has filed this complaint on my behalf to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Arrest.

“We are challenging my continued illegal confinement by the Ugandan police and the military.”

Long-time president Museveni, 76, was re-elected with almost 59 per cent of the vote, followed by 38-year-old Wine, with roughly 35 per cent.

Wine says he will legally contest the result of the presidential election, alleging “widespread fraud” during the Jan. 14 poll, which was seen as Uganda’s first election in which there was a real threat to Museveni’s rule.

Museveni, one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders, has retained power for 35 years.

He had changed Uganda’s constitution to enable himself to run for yet another five-year term.

The election had been overshadowed by violence since campaigning began, with almost daily violence being reported.

The internet was shut down across the country shortly before the start of voting.

It has since returned, although social media remains unavailable.

Emmanuel Macron, the President of France and ex officio co-prince of Andorra, has said he will not repent nor apologise for France’s colonial past in Algeria.

Macron’s office says he will seek to promote reconciliation through a number of symbolic acts.

There will “no repentance nor apologies” for the occupation of Algeria or the bloody eight-year war that ended French rule, Macron’s office said, adding that the French leader would instead take part in “symbolic acts” aimed at promoting reconciliation.

The comments come before the publication later today of a report he commissioned into how France is facing up to the legacy of that period.

Macron had in the past that France had committed crimes against humanity in Algeria, and spoken of the need for truth and reconciliation.

In July, Algeria’s President Abdelmadjid Tebboune had expressed hopes Macron would apologise for France’s 132 years of colonial rule in Algeria and the brutal eight-year war that ended it, have left a legacy of often prickly relations between the two countries.

“We have already had half-apologies. The next step is needed… we await it,” Tebboune said in an interview at the time.

“I believe that with President Macron, we can go further in the appeasement process … he is a very honest man, who wants to improve the situation.”

France’s colonial rule of Algeria began in 1830 and lasted to 1962, when it gained independence after an eight- year armed struggle.

Thousands of French and hundreds of thousands of Algerians died.