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Chimbolo massacre

Coordinates: 5°43′08″N 20°50′40″E / 5.7188°N 20.8445°E / 5.7188; 20.8445
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5°43′08″N 20°50′40″E / 5.7188°N 20.8445°E / 5.7188; 20.8445

Chimbolo massacre
Part of Central African Republic Civil War
Chimbolo is located in Central African Republic
Chimbolo
Chimbolo
LocationChimbolo, Ouaka, Central African Republic
Date19 March 2023
4:00 WAT (UTC+01:00)
Attack type
Massacre
WeaponsFirearms
Deaths9 killed (excluding 1 attacker)
Injured2 injured
VictimsChinese workers
PerpetratorsDisputed
No. of participants
Unknown

On 19 March 2023 unknown gunmen attacked a gold mine near the town of Chimbolo in the Central African Republic's province of Ouaka, killing nine Chinese workers and injuring two.

Background

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In the early March 2023, miners started to work near the Chimbolo village in a gold mine owned by Chinese company The Gold Coast Group.[1]

Events

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Around 5 a.m. local time (04:00 GMT)[2] group of armed men entered the site. More than a dozen soldiers were supposed to protect the site but only four were present during the attack.[1] Upon seeing the attackers all guards fled, shooting one of the attackers in the process.[3] After their retreat, attackers entered the dormitories and began taking their inhabitants one by one. They tackled them to the ground before executing them at point-blank range.[3][1] Before turning back, attackers searched the dormitory and retrieved body of one of their fighters who was killed previously.[3]

The attackers left the bodies of the victims facing down in a row in the mud.[1] The victims have not been identified, and their bodies were cremated shortly after the attack.[1]

Responsibility

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Allegations of rebel responsibility

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The government, including justice minister Arnaud Djoubaye Abazène, has blamed rebel Coalition of Patriots for Change for the attack.[1] Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner Group claimed the "bandits" were responsible for the attack and that they were caught without elaborating.[1] According to investigation by Afrique Media rebels from UPC were responsible for the attack.[4] On 19 April government released its investigation blaming the CPC rebels for the massacre.[5]

Allegations of government responsibility

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Rebels spokesman Mamadou Koura refuted these allegations instead blame Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group.[2] According to Corbeau News Centrafrique one of the attackers who was killed during the attack was named Saleh alias "Erike" who belonged to pro-government armed group.[3] The website blamed the Wagner Group and allied Central African militia for the attack citing interview with one of the survivors of the attack.[6] Investigation by Mother Jones blamed Russian mercenaries for the attack.[7]

According to Human Rights Division of the United Nations ex-UPC combatants allied with the government known as "Black Russians" were present in the area during the attack. They allegedly beat a man to force him to reveal identities of the attackers.[8]

References

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