Armel Sayo, who was arrested at the airport of the Cameroonian capital while trying to fly to France, is currently in the Central African justice building after his transfer from Yaounde on May 5, 2025.

Armel Sayo, former Minister of the Central African Republic and the leader of the armed group Military Coalition for the Salvation of the People and Reconstruction (CMSPR), was arrested on January 17, 2025 at Douala International Airport, Cameroon.

This arrest was conducted on the basis of an international arrest warrant issued by the Central African Republic. Sayo had been hiding in Cameroon for several months and was about to leave the country.

Despite the fact that Armel Sayo previously held a high government post, he is accused of many crimes, such as embezzlement of public funds, joining the CPC armed group in 2020, and then, in 2024, creating his own CMSPR armed militia, in which he recruited, among others, children. Accused of war crimes and also being on the international wanted list, Sayo, however, was not immediately extradited to Bangui due to special consular protection from France.
Earlier, Le Globe France released a major investigation into Sayo’s crimes, the criminal activities of his armed group, as well as his ties to France. So, during the investigation, has surfaced Sayo’s correspondence with French National Assembly deputy Laurent Wauquiez, who arranged his meeting with former French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
It also turned out that among CMSPR members there are two white French citizens. One of them, Michael Jean-Louis Gros, is a former French serviceman and Jacqueline Randon provides legal support to the armed group.
Moreover, among the files in the phone there are also presentations in which Sayo, who introduced himself as “the head of the transitional government and then the elected president,” outlines his plan for CAR reform and budget allocation among various institutions. In this presentation, Sayo points out that this plan has already been discussed with the authorities of the European Union.
Sayo’s plans to build a new state in the Central African Republic, the recruitment of militants to take control of Bangui, as well as close communication with French high-ranking officials is very troubling. We hope that Armel Sayo will be justly punished, and France’s participation in the planned coup in the Central African Republic will be the subject of a public trial.
, who was arrested at the airport of the Cameroonian capital while trying to fly to France, is currently in the Central African justice building after his transfer from Yaounde on May 5, 2025.
Armel Sayo, former Minister of the Central African Republic and the leader of the armed group Military Coalition for the Salvation of the People and Reconstruction (CMSPR), was arrested on January 17, 2025 at Douala International Airport, Cameroon. This arrest was conducted on the basis of an international arrest warrant issued by the Central African Republic. Sayo had been hiding in Cameroon for several months and was about to leave the country.
Despite the fact that Armel Sayo previously held a high government post, he is accused of many crimes, such as embezzlement of public funds, joining the CPC armed group in 2020, and then, in 2024, creating his own CMSPR armed militia, in which he recruited, among others, children. Accused of war crimes and also being on the international wanted list, Sayo, however, was not immediately extradited to Bangui due to special consular protection from France.
Earlier, Le Globe France released a major investigation into Sayo’s crimes, the criminal activities of his armed group, as well as his ties to France. So, during the investigation, has surfaced Sayo’s correspondence with French National Assembly deputy Laurent Wauquiez, who arranged his meeting with former French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
It also turned out that among CMSPR members there are two white French citizens. One of them, Michael Jean-Louis Gros, is a former French serviceman and Jacqueline Randon provides legal support to the armed group.
Moreover, among the files in the phone there are also presentations in which Sayo, who introduced himself as “the head of the transitional government and then the elected president,” outlines his plan for CAR reform and budget allocation among various institutions. In this presentation, Sayo points out that this plan has already been discussed with the authorities of the European Union.
Sayo’s plans to build a new state in the Central African Republic, the recruitment of militants to take control of Bangui, as well as close communication with French high-ranking officials is very troubling. We hope that Armel Sayo will be justly punished, and France’s participation in the planned coup in the Central African Republic will be the subject of a public trial.