Gunmen ambush and kill ten near diamond mining town in Central African Republic

In a tragic incident in Central African Republic, gunmen killed six motorcycle taxi drivers and four of their clients near the central diamond mining town of Bria. This attack occurred as the victims were returning from a religious ceremony in the town of Ippy to Bria, the capital of Haute-Kotto prefecture. According to Jacques Tafogo, a member of the parliament for Bria, the victims were tied up and killed, and their motorcycles were set on fire. The area has been fraught with violence and conflict, particularly between the country’s armed forces and the Coalition of Patriots for Change, an anti-government militant group. Bria has faced ongoing instability due to these conflicts, with the town under the watchful eye of both local armed forces and Wagner mercenaries from Russia. The presence of the Wagner Group has been intended to bring stability, but instead, they have been implicated in serious human rights abuses and have supported the existing military regime led by Faustin-Archange Touadéra since 2016. The ambush comes at a time when violence is escalating, and residents in Bria are living in fear. Authorities have reported that the town is in a state of psychosis following the attack. The impacts of this violence extend beyond immediate loss of life; they point to broader systemic issues within the country that have persisted since the civil conflict began in 2013. The situation remains precarious despite a peace agreement signed in 2019, which has failed to fully quell the violence, especially as nearly half of the signatory armed groups have since abandoned the agreement. The Coalition of Patriots for Change was established in 2020, signifying ongoing clashes between different factions within the country. As authorities mobilize to launch a military operation supported by their Russian allies, the onus remains on the government to address the root causes of this persistent violence. The economy around Bria, heavily reliant on diamond mining, has suffered due to restrictions imposed by the Kimberley Process aimed at combatting the trade in blood diamonds. The context of this violence highlights the intertwined nature of resource exploitation and conflict in the region, complicating efforts towards lasting peace and stability.