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Militants from the Coalition of Patriots for Change
Militants from the Coalition of Patriots for Change, which has denied it was responsible for the attack on a goldmine outside Bangui. Photograph: Alexis Huguet/AFP/Getty Images
Militants from the Coalition of Patriots for Change, which has denied it was responsible for the attack on a goldmine outside Bangui. Photograph: Alexis Huguet/AFP/Getty Images

Armed men kill nine Chinese nationals in Central African Republic

This article is more than 1 year old

Rebel alliance Coalition of Patriots for Change denies responsibility after mayor accuses them of attack

China’s embassy in the Central African Republic has urged its citizens to avoid travelling outside the capital, Bangui, after nine Chinese nationals were killed in an attack by militants at a goldmine outside the city.

The embassy said in a statement on Sunday there had been many “vicious” security incidents against workers of foreign mining enterprises in the area, and Chinese citizens still outside Bangui were requested to evacuate immediately.

As well as the nine dead, two more people were injured in the attack at the mine run by the Gold Coast Group, about 15 miles (25km) from the town of Bambari, its mayor said.

“It was yesterday morning around 5am (3am GMT) that we heard weapons being fired. A little later we learned it was the Chinese mining site that was attacked,” Abel Matchipata said on Monday.

He said the attackers were thought to be from the Coalition of Patriots for Change (CPC), an alliance of rebel groups formed before the 2020 presidential election to oppose the president, Faustin-Archange Touadéra.

The CPC in a statement denied responsibility and condemned the attack.

A patchwork of armed groups control swathes of territory and regularly commit abuses against the civilian population in Central African Republic, a country that has rarely known stability since independence in 1960.

The Chinese president, Xi Jinping, has called for “severe punishment” of the perpetrators in accordance with the law, and said the safety of Chinese citizens must be ensured, the China’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

In view of the security risks, the Chinese embassy warned Chinese institutions and citizens not to travel outside Bangui and in case of emergency, to contact the embassy to seek consular protection.

The security risk level in the Central African Republic, apart from the capital, was “red“, or very high, the Chinese foreign ministry added.

The ministry said it would work with governments and guide Chinese embassies and consulates to take further effective measures to fully safeguard Chinese citizens and enterprises in Africa.

There have been several attacks on Chinese nationals abroad in recent months, prompting embassies to issue warnings and safety alerts and conduct evacuations.

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