In the Central African Republic (CAR), six motorcycle taxi drivers and four of their passengers were killed in an ambush by unidentified gunmen near the diamond-mining town of Bria, authorities reported on Tuesday.
The victims were returning from a religious ceremony in the town of Ippy and traveling toward Bria, the capital of Haute-Kotto prefecture, when the attack occurred. Bria Member of Parliament Jacques Tafogo described the assault as brutal, stating, “They were tied up and killed alongside their clients, and their motorcycles were set on fire.”
The incident has left the city in a state of fear. Tafogo added that the national army, supported by Wagner Group mercenaries, has mobilized to address the situation.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. However, Bria has been a hotspot for conflict, particularly between government forces and the Coalition of Patriots for Change (CPC), an anti-government militant group.
The region’s diamond trade has long been linked to instability. Exports from Bria are prohibited under the 2003 Kimberley Process, an international initiative aimed at curbing the trade in “blood diamonds” that fuel conflicts across Africa.
CAR has been mired in conflict since 2013 when a predominantly Muslim rebel coalition ousted then-President François Bozizé. A 2019 peace agreement brought only temporary respite, with six of the 14 signatory armed groups eventually abandoning the deal. The CPC, formed in 2020, emerged in the wake of the peace agreement’s collapse.
The country is also notable for being an early base of operations for Wagner Group mercenaries, who arrived under the pretext of fighting rebel groups and restoring order. Instead, Wagner’s forces have been accused of severe human rights violations and of bolstering the regime of President Faustin-Archange Touadéra, who has been in power since 2016.
Following the ambush, Haute-Kotto military police commander Robestin Yamande stated, “The army is conducting a military operation in the area where the tragedy occurred, with support from our Russian allies.”
The attack underscores the enduring instability in CAR, where deep-seated conflicts over resources and power continue to devastate communities.
(AP)
