Mercenaries of Wagner PMC suspected of killing nine Chinese citizens in Africa - AP

Mercenaries of the Russian private military company Wagner staged a seizure of a gold mining facility that had recently been launched in the Central African Republic. The actions of the Wagner members resulted in the deaths of nine Chinese citizens and the injury of two others.

Initially, the rebel coalition was blamed for the crime, but later they denied their guilt, saying that Russian mercenaries from the Wagner PMC were involved in the violence. This was reported by the Associated Press news agency.

The attack took place on the morning of March 19, just a few days after militants kidnapped three Chinese citizens in the west of the country near the border with Cameroon. This, in turn, prompted President Faustin Archange Touadera to plan a trip to China to reassure investors.

The assault on the Chimbolo gold mine began at around 5 a.m., when the militants overpowered the guards and opened fire. The bodies of the victims were taken to the CAR capital Bangui. Local authorities said they were pursuing the attackers but declined to comment further. Residents said the violence was the latest incident to undermine confidence in the country's security forces.

According to local residents, it is difficult for the government of the Central African Republic to prove its ability to protect citizens and foreigners living in the CAR.

Anselm Bange, who supports the current presidential administration, called the attack on the Chinese businessmen an act of "unspeakable cowardice". He added that such atrocities by mercenaries have not only slowed down the country's economic growth, but are now threatening the foundations of development.

Recall that the extraction of oil, gas, diamonds and gold in Sudan, Syria and other countries has brought the founder of the Russian PMC Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, more than $250 million in revenue since 2018. This is despite years of Western sanctions against him.

By the way, Wagner's gold mining in Sudan is aimed at illegally replenishing Russia's gold and foreign exchange reserves and mitigating the effect of Western economic sanctions on the Russian economy. Potentially, the mining could increase Russia's gold reserves by $130 billion.

Earlier it was reported that senior US officials are concerned about the growing activity of the Russian private military company Wagner in Serbia and Africa. The aggressor continues to use this organisation to conduct influence operations.

As OBOZREVATEL previously reported, the United States has included the private military company Wagner as a subject of special concern. Such measures have been taken to protect the values and interests of protecting national security and promoting human rights around the world.

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