Russia has assured that one of its representatives in the Central African Republic was injured on Friday by the explosion of a package bomb, an attack that the leader of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner attributed to France, accusations denied by Paris.
The Central African Republic, a country in civil war since 2013, is at the center of Russia’s influence strategy in Africa. Wagner’s growing role has also prompted France, a former colonial power, to withdraw its last soldiers from the country on Thursday.
“The head of the Russian House (the cultural center, editor’s note) received an anonymous package on Friday, opened it and an explosion occurred,” said the press service of the Russian embassy, quoted by the official TASS news agency. stating that this official, Dmitri Syty, was hospitalized with “serious injuries”.
France, a “State that supports terrorism”
Soon after, wealthy Russian businessman close to the Kremlin and founder of Wagner, Yevgeny Prigojine, accused France and asked the Russian Foreign Ministry to initiate proceedings to declare “France a state sponsor of terrorism,” he said, quoted by his press service.
According to Evgeny Prigokhine, Dmitri Syty, before losing consciousness, had read a note accompanying the package that read “It is for you, on behalf of all the French, the Russians will leave Africa.”
The head of French diplomacy denied these accusations a few hours later.
“This information is false and is even a good example of Russian propaganda and the fanciful imagination that sometimes characterizes this propaganda,” Catherine Colonna said in Rabat, where she was visiting.
“This militia (Wagner) is committing regrettable exactions on the civilian population and there would be a lot to say about it, but today is not the time,” he added, as France regularly accuses the Wagner group of orchestrating the manipulation of public opinion. against France in various African countries and committing economic depredation there under cover of government protection contracts.
Lack of evidence
Wagner’s leader, who for years denied leading the group before recently acknowledging it, did not provide proof of the memorandum and AFP could not confirm the content of those statements.
He also claimed that Dmitri Syty had also received threats in November directed at his son who lives in France.
This “criminal act” was aimed at “damaging the development of friendly relations” between Moscow and Bangui, accused the Russian Foreign Ministry, without however designating an alleged sponsor.
A Russian diplomatic source in Bangui interviewed by the Ria Novosti agency indicated that the victim had received the package at his home, which is not on the territory of the embassy.
“He received it, brought it to the house and opened it,” said the unnamed diplomat from the Russian embassy in the Central African Republic.
There is no voltage on the site
By noon, the busy area of the Russian Cultural Center, located in central Bangui near the French and Russian embassies, was quiet, reporters said. There was no police force around the site and traffic was normal.
A Russian deputy foreign minister, Mikhail Bogdanov, said the Russian cultural center would remain open despite the attack.
An AFP journalist was able to see people safely entering and leaving the site at noon.
“We should not show fear in front of the terrorists, they are just waiting for that,” said Mikhail Bogdanov, while calling for the security of the Russian diplomatic mission in the Central African Republic to be strengthened.
The last 47 French soldiers deployed in the Central African Republic left the country on Thursday. France had decided in the summer of 2021 to suspend its military cooperation with Bangui, considered an “accomplice” in a Russian-led anti-French campaign.
Source: BFM TV
