Central African Republic: US to finance mobile military camps
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The United States is reportedly funding the construction of mobile military camps in the Central African Republic. The contract is reportedly about to be awarded to French company Itareseam, which has already worked in Mozambique and Mauritania. The value of the contract is said to be in the region of USD 10 million.
While most European powers are scaling down or withdrawing entirely from military co-operation in the Central African Republic, the US has refused to draw down on its ambitions and military footprint. This comes as the Wagner group has established its presence in the country as a security force.
Blame game played for murder of Chinese miners
Meanwhile, authorities in the Central African Republic alleged last week that Wednesday that a leading rebel group, the Coalition of Patriots for Change (CPC), was behind the murder of nine Chinese gold miners last month, despite denials by the insurgents.
The rebels in turn pointed the finger at the Wagner group, hired to protect several lucrative gold and diamond mines operated by Russian firms in the country, for the attack.
Justice Minister Arnaud Djoubaye Abazene said the killers were “indisputably elements from the CPC”, or Coalition of Patriots for Change, quoting a final report from an inquiry into the March 19 deaths.
The CPC, an alliance of rebel groups formed in December 2020 to overthrow President Faustin-Archange Touadera, has denied any involvement in what it has called a “despicable and barbaric” act.
It has not provided evidence for its claim that Wagner mercenaries were involved in the murders.
Hundreds of Wagner paramilitaries were deployed to the CAR in 2018, and their numbers increased in 2020 to fend off an assault on the capital by the CPC.
The nine miners had been employed by China’s Gold Coast Group at the Chimbolo mine.
China’s President Xi Jinping had issued after the killings “important instructions, demanding 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”.
