When asked whether Bancroft is aiming to replace some other private military company (PMC) in Central Africa in its contacts with the government of the CAR, the company's official told Sputnik that "this is a nonsensical question."
"Local and French propaganda have fabricated the notion that Bancroft would even think about replacing a PMC in the CAR (or anywhere). Those false stories are not even plausible," she said.
She added that "there is simply no comparison between Bancroft and the PMC" working in the CAR.
"The Russian entities working in CAR are far larger than Bancroft, and they are in the CAR as the result of a long-standing agreement between Bangui and Moscow. Their work includes PMC type activities, including security and combat, which Bancroft does not perform. It is not even plausible that a niche American arms-control and training NGO [non-governmental organization] could compete with an official project of the CAR and Russia," the official added.
Moreover, the company's cooperation with Bangui would not conflict with the activities of United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the CAR (MINUSCA), as well as activities of other organizations supporting the CAR.
When asked by Sputnik whether the company can guarantee that its operations will not affect the operations of MINUSCA, the company said: "Of course."
"Bancroft has worked directly with the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations and UN Missions for over a dozen years," the company said.
The company added that "if Bancroft and CAR agree on a project, one of the preconditions will be that Bancroft's work does not conflict with the activities of any organization that supports the CAR Government, including MINUSCA."
Last week, French radio RFI reported, citing sources, that Bancroft employees had arrived in the CAR and intended to offer their services to the country's authorities. Bancroft told Sputnik that it had not deployed any personnel in the country.