BANGUI, Central African Republic — The government of the Central African Republic has suspended the operations of a Chinese mining company in the country, accusing it of collaborating with armed militias, according to a government decree.
The country's Ministry of Mines accused Daqing SARL, a Chinese gold and diamond mining company, of “intelligence of armed groups, illegal exploitation, illegal introduction of foreign nationals into mining areas, non-payment of taxes and lack of activity reports.” decision, which was made public on Saturday.
Daqing SARL operated in Mingala, a city in the south of the Central African Republic that has been ravaged by fighting between the country's armed forces and the Coalition of Patriots for Change, an armed anti-government group.
The Central African Republic has entered conflict since 2013, when predominantly Muslim rebels seized power and forced President Francois Bozize from office. Mostly Christian militias fought back.
a 2019 Peace Agreement only reduced the fighting, and six of the fourteen armed groups that later signed left the agreement. The Coalition of Patriots for Change was founded in 2020 in the aftermath of the agreement.
The country remains one of the poorest in the world, despite its enormous mineral wealth, including gold and diamonds. Rebel groups have operated with impunity in the embattled country for the past decade, thwarting mining exploration by foreign companies.
Many of those now operating in the country are Chinese-led and have faced security challenges. Last month, Four workers were killed in a Chinese-run gold mine during an attack that the local government blamed on the Coalition of Patriots for Change. Last year, nine Chinese nationals were killed at another gold mine in the Central African Republic. The government blamed the same rebel alliance. In 2020, two Chinese nationals died when local residents led an uprising against a Chinese-operated mine in the south of the country.
