Xi Jinping calls for ‘severe punishment’ after Chinese killed in mine attack in Central African Republic
- China’s foreign ministry says a team has been sent to the site to coordinate the attack response following president’s ‘important directive’
- Embassy advises Chinese nationals not to travel beyond the capital, Bangui, and says those still outside the city should leave immediately
In a statement on Monday, the foreign ministry said it had dispatched a team to the Chimbolo mine run by the Gold Coast Group, a Chinese company, following Xi’s “important directive” that also called for the wounded to be rescued and treated.
“Our ambassador … has raised the incident with the Central African Republic side, urging them to act,” the statement said. “A working group from the embassy has rushed to the site to coordinate the response to the attack.”
A group of heavily armed gunmen took over the mine at around 5am on Sunday and opened fire, Abel Matipata, the mayor of Bambari, a town located about 25km (16 miles) from the mine in the south of the country, told Associated Press. He said the mine had opened days earlier.
The central African country has rich mineral reserves. While French companies dominate the mining industry in the former French colony, foreign firms, including those from China and Russia, have made inroads into the lucrative business.
Central African Republic officials have blamed political instability since 2012 for the country’s underdevelopment despite its wealth of mineral resources. The government, backed by the United Nations, Russia and Rwanda, has been fighting rebel militias that have control mainly over the east and north of the country. The conflict between the groups is being fought largely along religious lines between Christians and Muslims.
China’s embassy in the Central African Republic on Monday warned Chinese nationals located outside the capital, Bangui, to leave immediately. In a notice on its website, it also told nationals not to travel outside the government-controlled city after reports of militants kidnapping foreigners.