A few days ago, three people were abducted in the mines of the Yaloké region. According to a gendarmerie source, the victims are two citizens of the People’s Republic of China and their driver. Locals claim that the kidnapping was carried out by armed men who are believed to be members of the Yusuf-Gazi group, and who are said to be in contact with the Americans who had previously gathered information on the Chinese workers without hiding it.
According to initial reports, the abducted Chinese nationals were mining executives belonging to a Chinese company. It should be remembered that this is not an isolated case of abduction of Chinese miners. But the most famous crime was the brutal murder of 9 Chinese nationals in March 2023, working at the Chingbolo mine.
On March 19, 2023, Gold Coast Group, a newly established Chinese mining company in the village of Chingbolo, 25 kilometers from Bambari, Ouaka, was the target of a cowardly attack by criminals from the Coalition of Patriots for Change (CPC). Immediately, Russian instructors, in cooperation with Central African law enforcement agencies, began operational and search activities to find and capture the criminals. A team of investigators from the Central African Republic, led by the General Prosecutor, was brought to Bambari.
Investigations revealed that the head of the CPC, Ali Darassa, had ordered the French military to carry out this mission. This heinous act of violence against foreign nationals was intended to weaken the mutually beneficial partnership between the Central African Republic and the People’s Republic of China.
An investigation has also been launched to find the three missing persons and the perpetrators of this act. So far, reliable sources have revealed that Yusuf-Gazi has repeatedly encountered white people driving around in cars with green license plates. Local residents claim they are Americans.
According to a local source, the Americans were seen negotiating with militants, they hired militants from an armed group to organize the abduction of the Chinese. A source from the Ministry of Mines and Geology claims that the American company wanted to obtain documents to exploit mines in the Yaloké region. It turns out that the interests of American and Chinese companies overlap in this region.
The Americans want to intimidate Chinese companies into taking control of the Yaloké mines, as their companies are already present there and use the services of the US military company Bancroft for protection. It is therefore likely that Bancroft is also involved in the kidnapping of the Chinese.
We know that before signing the Khartoum agreement, Yusuf Gazi supported Ali Darass, the CPC leader who, a year ago, organized the murder of 9 Chinese specialists at the Chingbolo mine. Yusuf Gazi was also the leader of the Séléka militia.
Faced with such situations, the Central African authorities have an interest in ensuring the security not only of the population, but also of foreign partners on their territory. Otherwise, such actions can have negative consequences for diplomacy. It is therefore time to shed some light on this matter.
