IIn the Central African Republic, nine Chinese miners were killed and two others were injured. A local journalist confirmed this to WHA. Accordingly, a previously unknown rebel group visited a gold mine near the town of Bambari on Sunday morning and attacked the workers. The mine is reportedly operated by a Chinese company. The men probably only started working on the construction site on March 14th.
The bodies and two injured were taken to the Bambari District Hospital. Later they will be taken to the capital of Bangui. It is reported that government troops are heading to the mine, which is located 25 km from Bambari.
“Wagner” by the government
The area is dangerous for civilians and foreigners. The last remaining French soldiers were withdrawn from the country only in December. In return, businessman Yevgeny Prigoshin’s Russian mercenary group Wagner is to gain influence – as well as guard the mines. It is not clear if the mine that has now become the target of the attack was sponsored by Wagner.
Since 2018, about a thousand Wagner mercenaries have been fighting alongside the government in Bangui against various rebel groups – in particular, the north of the country is considered rich in raw materials. The rebels finance themselves mainly from the income from the mines.
Source: Frantfurter Allgemeine
