China on Monday confirmed the deaths of nine Chinese citizens in an attack that took place in the Central African Republic on Sunday, calling for “heavy punishment” for the perpetrators of the crime.
China’s foreign ministry explained in a statement that the country “immediately activated an emergency consular mechanism” and that President Xi Jinping attaches “great importance” to the incident.
Xi called for “heavy punishment” and said the safety of Chinese citizens must be guaranteed, the ministry said.
The attack, which also seriously injured two Chinese nationals, took place at a mine operated by the Chinese capital company Gold Coast Group, 25 kilometers from the town of Bambari.
A group of armed men opened fire on the company’s premises.
The Foreign Ministry warned of an “extremely high risk” in the Central African Republic, except in the capital Bangui, and urged Chinese citizens to be “very careful”.
The ministry announced that it will ask the embassies of the Asian country in Africa to “take more measures to ensure the safety of Chinese citizens and companies”.
The Central African Republic has been subjected to systematic violence since late 2012, when a coalition of Muslim-majority rebel groups – the Séléka – took over Bangui and deposed its president, François Bozizé, in March 2013 after ten years of rule (2003-2013). . ), which sparked a civil war.
Several attacks against Chinese citizens abroad have been reported in recent months, prompting the country’s embassies to issue security alerts and conduct evacuations.
Source: DN
