On 19 March, a group of unidentified armed men attacked a gold mine in the Central African Republic belonging to a Chinese company, killing nine Chinese nationals. The sources close to officials accuse members of the Russian terrorist organization Wagner Group. This was reported by the Associated Press.
According to the agency, the mine opened only a few days ago. A few days earlier, unidentified gunmen kidnapped three Chinese nationals in western CAR, prompting the president to plan a trip to China to reassure investors, the source writes.
The rebel Coalition of Patriots for Change (CPC) was initially suspected of being behind the attack. However, on the same day, without providing evidence, their “spokesman” said that “this is not true”. In addition, he said that mercenaries of the Wagner Group were allegedly to blame for the incident.
The attack on the Chimbolo gold mine began around 05:00 am, said the mayor of the nearby town of Bambari, 25 kilometers away.
The alleged Wagnerians’ actions were aimed at “scaring the Chinese, who were present long before the Russians established themselves in that part of the country”, the CPC said.
The bodies of those killed in the attack were taken to the country’s capital.
