Russian mercenaries fingered in attack on Chinese workers in CAR

When nine Chinese nationals were killed in a gold mine ambush in the Central African Republic (CAR) last month, the incident first appeared to be a case of local discontent with Beijing's exploitation of the country's natural resources.

But then some curious details began to emerge about the alleged killers.

In the early hours of March 19, unidentified gunmen stormed the Chinese-operated Chimbolo gold mine, killing nine Chinese workers and injuring two others.

Top CAR officials, without evidence, were quick to blame various rebel groups for the killings, including the Coalition of Patriots for Change (CPC), the Union for Peace in the Central African Republic (UPC) and related factions.

The CPC meanwhile denied any involvement in the "despicable and barbaric" act. It pointed the finger at Russia's Wagner Group, also without providing evidence.

But then a group of witnesses came forward, with testimony that put Wagner mercenaries at the scene of the crime.

'White soldiers' behind attack

Just before 5am, two pickup trucks allegedly carrying Wagner Group mercenaries pulled up in front of six vigilantes on the street leading to the gold mine, the vigilante unit leader, "Zaza", told The Daily Beast.

The vigilante group comprises local residents who protect buildings and electrical installations in the high-crime area.

The group described the men in the trucks as "white soldiers" who were dressed in the military regalia often worn by the Wagner mercenaries, The Daily Beast reported March 23.

"One white soldier in one of the vehicles came down from the car and ordered us to leave the area," Zaza said. "He said he and his colleagues were going to be responsible for securing the area."

About 10 minutes later, the vigilantes said they heard a loud explosion at the mine, followed by more than an hour of gunfire.

"We could even hear the sounds of people screaming at the gold mine," said Zaza. "It sounded as if they were crying for help."

Around 6am the vigilantes saw the pickup trucks leaving the area.

When they rushed into the gold mine, the vigilantes saw the Central African security guards tied up, with dead bodies strewn around them on the ground.

'Rebels don't kill foreigners'

A former UPC fighter who previously worked for the Wagner Group's local wing, known as the "Black Russians", supported the vigilantes' claims.

"Rebels typically don't kill foreigners, but kidnap them and request for ransom to be paid for their release," Ali told The Daily Beast, using an alias.

"This is an attack only the Russians can carry out."

Just days before the gold mine attack, gunmen kidnapped three Chinese nationals near the CAR's border with Cameroon, prompting CAR President Faustin-Archange Touadéra to plan a trip to China in a bid to reassure investors.

Over the past year, the CPC allegedly kidnapped at least one Chinese national for money, a Western official told the New York Times.

"They go for ransoms and the Chinese government pays," the official said. "But they don't kill."

The CAR's national assembly has accused foreign mercenaries of being behind the slayings, although a statement did not single out any country.

French companies dominated the mining industry in the CAR for years, until Russian "military trainers" and Wagner mercenaries arrived at the invitation of the CAR government in 2018.

China's recent attempt to make inroads in the lucrative sector may be considered a threat to Russia's gains.

Russian fighters reportedly have seized control of mining sites in the CAR from Chinese companies using brute force in the past, although the motives remain unconfirmed, according to The Daily Beast.

Some speculate that the Wagner Group carried out the attack because some of its demands for money from the CAR government in exchange for its work combating rebel groups have gone unpaid.

Other reports suggest Wagner is given access to the CAR's mineral resources in exchange for its military support of the government.

"The Russians don't want anyone else to gain control of any mining site [in the CAR] except [if] you are Russian," said Ali.

"It is worse if you are a foreigner," he said. "They'll make sure you're dead so you don't find a way of coming back in the future."

Political fallout

Despite its wealth of natural resources, the CAR has been in the throes of civil conflict since 2013 and remains one of the world's poorest countries, with militias holding sway over large tracts of the country.

The gold mine massacre leaves the CAR government in a precarious position.

"If Touadéra doesn't handle this very well, we could be witnessing a fallout between [the] CAR and China on one hand, and tensions between China and Russia on the other hand, especially if China is convinced Wagner carried out the killings," Wilfried M'Vondo of the ruling United Hearts Movement told The Daily Beast.

The incident likely came as an unpleasant surprise for Russian President Vladimir Putin, who on March 20 hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping for talks meant to solidify their "no limits" friendship one year after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

It is not clear if the two discussed the CAR incident, but Xi has called on Bangui to "severely punish" the killers.

Putin is in no position to antagonise Xi, who is one of his few remaining allies and presides over an economy 10 times larger than Russia's. China is now the biggest buyer of Russian oil and gas.

Led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Wagner Group is notorious for furthering the Kremlin's objectives around the world under the guise of plausible deniability.

Since it was deployed to the CAR to fend off a CPC assault on the capital, it has been accused of using violence and extortion to tap into the country's lucrative diamond industry.

Wagner fighters have been accused of involvement in armed activities in the CAR, exploiting gold and diamond resources, and recruiting prisoners in the CAR and sending them to fight in Donbas, Ukraine.

According to CAR military officials, men incarcerated in the CAR for crimes including rape and murder are being released to join the Wagner Group, The Daily Beast reported in November.

Wagner fighters are accused of war crimes, abuses and meddling in conflicts across Africa, including in Mali, Libya, Chad, Sudan and Mozambique, as well as in Syria, Venezuela and Ukraine.