Nine Chinese workers at a gold mine in the Central African Republic were killed on Sunday. The dynamic is not clear, but the rebel group accused by the authorities of the attack have acquitted themselves by claiming without evidence that Wagner was involved in the affair. China’s problems in Africa are now similar
Gunmen have stormed a gold mining site recently established and operated by the Chinese in Central African Republic. The attack, which took place on Sunday March 19, killed nine Chinese citizens and wounded two others. The coalition of insurgents originally blamed for the attack released a statement later in the day, accusing Russian mercenaries from Russia’s Wagner Group company of being behind the violence without providing any evidence.
stories and interests
It’s certainly not a good accompaniment to the Chinese leader’s visit Xi Jinping in the Kremlin, who uses the Wagner for hybrid activities and dirty work that normal soldiers would have more difficult. It’s not at all clear what happened, and Russian society is unlikely to provide reliable information – despite the deus ex machina Yvgeny Prigozhin is experiencing a phase in which she is stepping out of the gray area in which she has been active for years in order to publicly distinguish herself.
It also remains that what happened serves as a new reminder for Beijing. President Xi’s global ambitions – which obscure his interests with the narrative associated with the series of strategic initiatives released during this period – and international activities come with certain risks. That is, a China perceived as a power can become the object of the dynamics that inspire local terrorist organizations. Equally becoming part of the competition between more ruthless powers, especially in loose areas like Africa – and especially the Central African Republic. The killing of innocent civilians is a tragic and inhumane circumstance that is not entirely unexpected.
What do we know
Sunday’s attack took place in Chimbolo. A few days earlier, some gunmen in the west of the country, near the Cameroon border, had kidnapped three Chinese nationals, prompting the Central African President to Faustin Archangel Touadera, plans a trip to China to reassure investors. Similar incidents have already occurred in Pakistan, where armed groups have repeatedly targeted Chinese working on projects linked to the Belt & Road Initiative corridor to India.
The attack on the gold mine began around 5 a.m. when gunmen overwhelmed the site’s guards and opened fire, he said Abel Matipata, mayor of the neighboring town of Bambari, 25 kilometers away. The start of the mining site happened a few days ago, he added. Local authorities said they were tracking the attackers but declined to comment further. Local residents said the violence was the latest incident to undermine trust in the security forces. Some added comments about the Chinese, who have already been accused of discriminatory behavior bordering on racism in Africa.
The Unusual Suspects
There was no immediate claim, but suspicion has fallen on the Coalition of Patriots for Change (CPC), which is active in the region and regularly launches attacks on the country’s armed forces. The alliance of rebel groups sides with the former president Francois Bozize. The CCP seeks to slow the country’s economic dynamics, attacking the fundamentals of development and producing destabilization – a dynamic that is certainly not unique to contexts like Central Africa’s.
However, the group’s military spokesman said the allegations against them were false. In fact, he asserted, without providing any evidence, that Wagner’s men had planned the attack “with the aim of frightening the Chinese, who were present in this part of the country long before the Russians settled”. The Russian company was contracted by Touadera to provide security and military training. But she has been accused by UN monitors of committing human rights abuses, including massacres – also not a unique dynamic when it comes to Wagner’s activities.
the context
The Central African Republic remains one of the poorest countries in the world, despite its enormous wealth in natural resources, including gold and diamonds. Over the past decade, countless rebel groups have operated with impunity across the country and hampered mineral exploration by foreign companies. Many of those now operating in the country are operated by China and are struggling with security issues.
In 2020, two Chinese nationals died when local residents led a riot against a Chinese-run mine in Sosso Nakombo. In 2018, three Chinese nationals were killed after a local community leader died in a boating accident while escorting Chinese miners to a site. Elsewhere, but also these days: The Chinese consulate in Lagos has issued a new security alert, warning fellow citizens not to travel to the north-central Nigerian state of Kogi amid reports that Chinese have been charged with kidnapping and assault to be attacked.
Sabotage, reality, goals
Despite the propaganda China uses to push its narrative, Chinese citizens are also perceived as neo-colonialists. And this is a reality Xi knows, in a way fears, as a factor of commonality with Westerners – while the party/state’s strategic narrative aims to make China perceived as different, better. It is also an element of weakness that exposes Beijing to a very toxic dynamic.
It’s pure speculation, but for example Wagner could use the context to foment false flag attacks against the Chinese through Infowar and hybrid actions. Sabotage: Russian society is already resorting to sociocultural dynamics elsewhere to protect its interests. The objective could be to show that it is necessary to increase one’s presence in order to increase security conditions. And perhaps you yourself will urge the Chinese companies to rely on the services of Prigozhin’s company. At the same time, the aim could also be to discourage the Chinese from investing – they are trying to replace themselves in business, as they are already doing in other cases.