Gunmen in Central African Republic killed 10 people near a diamond mining town

According to authorities, gunmen killed six motorcycle taxi drivers and four passengers near the central Central African Republic diamond-mining town of Bria. The victims were returning to Bria, the capital of Haute-Kotto province, after attending a religious ceremony in the town of Ippy.

Bria parliamentarian Jacques Tafogo told The Associated Press that the motorcycle drivers and passengers were ambushed by unidentified gunmen on their return journey. "They were tied up and killed with their passengers, and the motorcycles were burned," Tafogo told the AP by phone. "There is panic in the town, and the army has mobilized with the support of Wagner Russian mercenaries."

No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. The mining town of Bria has been plagued in recent years by fighting between the country's armed forces and the rebel group "Coalition of Patriots for Change." The town's diamond exports are subject to a 2003 Kimberley Process ban aimed at eliminating the trade in "blood diamonds" from African conflicts.

The Central African Republic has been in conflict since 2013, when predominantly Muslim rebels seized power, forcing then-President Francois Bozize from office. A 2019 peace agreement only calmed the fighting, with six of the 14 armed groups that signed the deal later withdrawing. The "Coalition of Patriots for Change" was formed in 2020 after the agreement was signed.

The Central African Republic was also one of the first countries where the Kremlin-backed Wagner mercenaries operated, promising to fight rebel groups and restore peace. However, instead of stabilizing the country, Wagner forces have been accused of committing serious human rights abuses and defending the brutal military regime of Faustin-Archange Touadera, who came to power in March 2016.

Haute-Kotto province gendarmerie commander, Robestan Yamande, told the AP after the Bria attack: "The army is carrying out military operations in the area where the incident occurred, with the support of our Russian allies."