The last French troops deployed in the Central African Republic have left the war-torn nation following a chill in relations caused by closer ties between Bangui and Moscow.

Forty-seven troops from a logistical support unit left Bangui airport aboard a C-130 transporter aircraft on Thursday, becoming the last of a 130-person French contingent to leave the troubled country.

Their departure was witnessed by an AFP reporter.

France, the former colonial power, dispatched up to 1,600 troops to help stabilise the country after a coup in 2013 unleashed a civil war along sectarian lines.

The operation, named Sangaris, was France’s seventh military intervention in the CAR since the country gained independence in 1960.

It wound up in October 2016 after the elections, leaving a residual French presence.

Over the last few years, friction has grown between France and CAR over a mounting Russian military presence.

In December 2020, President Faustin Archange Touadera brought in Russian paramilitaries to help him fend off rebel groups advancing on the capital.

The CAR describes the Russians as military advisers but France, the UN and others say they are mercenaries from the Kremlin-backed Wagner group, who have been linked with atrocities and looting of resources.