Tobacco passages, assassinations, summary executions: the testimonies of dozens of victims, relatives and witnesses found the report of the NGO Human Rights Watch.
Le Monde With AFP
“Convincing evidence” demonstrate that Russian paramilitaries supporting power in the Central African Republic have committed “serious abuses” on civilians, including murders and tortures, “with impunity” since 2019, estimates Human Rights Watch ( HRW) in a report published Tuesday May 3.
This country, one of the poorest in the world, has been the theater since 2013 of a very deadly civil war at the start but which has dropped considerably since 2018. President Faustin Archangel Touadéra, however, called at the end of 2020 Moscow to the rescue of a weak and destitute army to repel a rebellious offensive that threatened Bangui and the regime.
Hundreds of Russian paramilitaries – “mercenaries” of the private Wagner security company, according to the UN and Western capitals – were sent to reinforce hundreds of others who have supported the regime already since 2018. Thanks to They, the armed groups, rebels or simple predators, were pushed back by a majority of two thirds of the territory which they still occupied in 2020.
“Manifest links with Moscow”
But the UN, the European Union and the countries, such as France in particular, accuse Wagner’s “mercenaries” of committing crimes and abuses against civilians, and the power of Mr. Touadéra, to leave them plunder the country’s resources in exchange for their military support. “Convincing evidence shows that forces identified as Russians supporting the Central African government have committed serious abuses against civilians in total impunity”, summarizes Ida Sawyer, director of the Crises and conflicts division at HRW, in conclusion of a Thirteen-page report based in particular on the testimonies of dozens of victims, close and witnesses.
“Forces identified by witnesses as Russian seem to have summarily executed, tortured and beaten civilians since 2019”, denounces HRW. “The Central African government certainly has the right to request international security assistance, but it cannot allow foreign forces to kill and mistreat civilians with impunity,” accuses Ms. Sawyer. The report clearly establishes a link – based on “evidence” advanced by Western governments and UN experts – between these “Russian forces” and Wagner, which, according to him, “manifest links with the Russian government “.
HRW details in particular the execution by “of the Russian speaking men” of twelve men “unarmed” arrested at a roadblock, “beaten” then “slaughtered” in the head on July 21, 2021 near Bossangoa , 300 km northwest of Bangui. The report also evokes “arbitrary detentions, tortures and extra-judicial executions” presumed in Alindao (center) in June 2021, on “men arrested at random in the street”.
Solicited by HRW on the accusations of the report, neither the Central African government, nor the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has followed up, according to the NGO. Moscow systematically affirms that Russian paramilitaries are “unarmed military instructors” responsible for training Central African soldiers.