Media: several Russian mercenaries killed by rebels in Central African Republic
Rebels in the Central African Republic (CAR) killed several Russian mercenaries from the private military company the Wagner Group and took another hostage, reported the local newspaper Corbeau News citing a source.
According to the source, the Russian mercenaries together with the CAR soldiers dismantled an fence, which was earlier built by the rebels. A fire fight broke out because of that, during which Russian mercenaries were killed.
The newspaper notes that the Russian mercenaries are only interested in the country’s resources, and not in ensuring the safety of the local population. The mercenaries are mainly deployed in the mining town of Ndassim.
MIDAS Resources, a company known for its ties with Russia, owns the mines in Ndassim.
Russian Ambassador to the CAR Vladimir Titorenko called the media reports about the death of Russians in CAR “a fabrication”, RIA Novosti reports.
«The embassy has checked everything. None of the military instructors was taken hostage or captured. None of them were killed," the diplomat commented.
In July 2018, a film crew from Russia was killed in the CAR. The journalists were shooting a documentary about the Wagner mercenaries in the CAR.
In August of the same year, Russian sociologist Igor Eidman stated that the murder of Russian journalists in Africa could have been "organized" by the Wagner mercenaries themselves.
In 2019, Russian media filmed a story that there were no "Wagnerians" in CAR and accidentally extradited mercenaries.