The tale of colonial excess comes as France tries to salvage its reputation among its former subjects
France’s ambassador to the Central African Republic has been disciplined for sexual misconduct with around 30 local women at his official residence in Bangui, according to French media.
Ambassador Bruno Foucher brought around 30 women between the ages of 20 and 30 into his residence between January 2024 and March 2026, French magazine Le Canard Enchaine reported on Wednesday. These late-night visits, some of which involved the women sleeping over, reportedly alarmed Foucher’s security detail, who alerted his higher-ups in Paris.
The French Foreign Ministry told the Guardian that an investigation was carried out, resulting in “disciplinary proceedings against the ambassador.” These proceedings, the ministry said, are “ongoing.”
Foucher has admitted to having sexual relations with two of the women, Le Canard Enchaine reported. According to the magazine, the ambassador paid money to at least one of them, handing “envelopes of cash” to a nursing student named ‘Gypsie’.
Foucher has not been accused of sexual abuse, as the ministry sees his conduct more as embarrassing than criminal. According to the magazine, the French Foreign Ministry’s Inspectorate General determined that “his inappropriate behavior had serious consequences for security and reputation, and was detrimental to French interests.”
France losing influence in Africa
France’s influence in the CAR has waned dramatically over the past decade. Although the CAR gained independence from France in 1960, Paris continues to control its currency, and France intervened militarily during multiple civil wars in the 2000s and 2010s. However, French troops had been widely seen as incapable of ensuring stability, so President Faustin-Archange Touadera turned to Russia for security assistance following his election in 2016.
French troops left the CAR in 2022, and now Russia’s Wagner private military company and Africa Corps are the sole foreign forces on its soil. Russia has also ramped up development aid to the CAR, and both countries have strengthened their economic ties since Touadera took office.
The trajectory of the CAR follows those of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, all of which are former French colonies. All three countries have expelled French troops, with Russia’s Africa Corps stepping in to fight jihadists in Mali, and Russia providing military aid and training to Burkina Faso and Niger.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot visited Bangui in March, ending a period of disengagement that he termed “cooling off,” and reassuring Touadera that “the Central African Republic matters to France.” Amid this outreach campaign, Ambassador Foucher’s conduct is an embarrassment to Paris and a potential impediment to diplomacy.
