Armel Sayo, who held three ministerial positions in the Central African Republic, was accused by the CAR Minister Special Advisor to the President, Fidèle Gouandjika, of an attempted coup d'etat.
Sayo, who still holds a Central African diplomatic passport, is preparing to travel to North Sudan to "to recruit mercenaries to come and massacre the Central African People," Gouandjika explained on social networks.
To back up his accusation, Gouandjika attached an audio file. He noted that it is a communication between Sayo and one of his accomplices in Africa. The audio broadcast was intercepted and decrypted from Europe.
"The coup d'état is foiled. We must remain vigilant," the special advisor added.
Sayo served as the country's minister of youth and sports in 2014-2015, as minister of housing and habitat in 2015-2016 and minister of modernization of administration and public service innovation in 2020-2021.
He was dismissed from the latter position as, in December 2020, he joined the Coalition of Patriots for Change (CPC) rebel coalition, which was created in 2020 to disrupt the 2020–21 Central African general election. For Sayo's alleged involvement in a failed coup attempt by CPC in January 2021, an arrest warrant was issued for him. Since then, Sayo has been living in France and working as an evangelical pastor.
According to media reports, in June 2023, Sayo, who holds dual citizenship with the CAR and France, urged the people to support him in overthrowing Central African President Faustin Archange Touadera.