Nine Chinese mine workers were killed in an attack in the Central African Republic, prompting a rare call on Monday from China’s President Xi Jinping for the perpetrators to be “severely” punished. The assault by “armed men” occurred at about 5:00 a.m. near Bambari, according to the town’s mayor, Abel Matchipata. He told AFP that “nine bodies and two wounded” had been counted, adding that the victims were Chinese workers at a site operated by the Gold Coast Group, located 25 kilometres (15 miles) from the town.
China’s foreign ministry confirmed the death toll, and Xi urged the Central African Republic’s authorities to “severely punish” those responsible. An unnamed ministry spokesperson said the president had ordered “an all‑out effort to treat the wounded, handle the aftermath in a timely manner, severely punish perpetrators in accordance with the law, and ensure the safety of Chinese citizens.” Local officials did not release further details of the attack, and no group claimed responsibility.
The victims’ bodies were transferred to a hospital in the capital, Bangui, where Chinese ambassador Li Qinfeng and CAR Foreign Minister Sylvie Baipo Temon attended, an AFP journalist reported. The Central African Republic has been plagued by civil conflict since 2013, when Muslim‑dominated armed groups ousted President François Bozizé. In a statement on Sunday, the Coalition of Patriots for Change (CPC)—an alliance of rebel groups formed in December 2020 to overthrow President Faustin Archange Touadéra—denied involvement, condemning the “despicable and barbaric” act and accusing the Russian Wagner mercenary group of being behind the killings.
In 2020, President Touadéra appealed to Moscow for assistance after rebel forces seized two‑thirds of the country and threatened Bangui. Hundreds of Russian paramilitaries then joined the few already present since 2018, helping repel the rebel offensive and recapturing large territories. Wagner is among the most prominent Russian outfits operating in Africa and also plays a major role in other conflicts, such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Xi is visiting Russia this week as Beijing seeks to portray a peace‑making role in that conflict, although Western nations have warned that China may be supplying arms to Moscow. Analysts note that China and Russia are expanding their presence in Africa to exploit its rich natural resources, despite grave warnings from UN agencies about the crippling debt burden on the world’s poorest countries. “One out of every three major infrastructure projects in Africa is built by Chinese state‑owned enterprises, and one out of every five is financed by a Chinese policy bank,” said Paul Nantulya of the Africa Centre for Strategic Studies, an academic institution within the U.S. Department of Defense.
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