A patchwork of armed groups control swathes of territory and regularly commit abuses against the civilian population in Central African Republic, a country that has rarely known stability since independence in 1960. Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for "severe punishment" of the perpetrators in accordance to the law, and said the safety of Chinese citizens must be ensured, the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement on Monday. In view of the security risks, the Chinese embassy warned Chinese institutions and citizens not to travel outside Bangui and in case of emergency, to contact the embassy to seek consular protection. The security risk level in the Central African Republic, apart from the capital, was "red", or very high, the Chinese foreign ministry added. The ministry said it would work with governments and guide Chinese embassies and consulates to take further effective measures to fully safeguard Chinese citizens and enterprises in Africa. There have been several attacks on Chinese nationals abroad in recent months, prompting embassies to issue warnings and safety alerts and conduct evacuations. (Reporting by Bernard Orr; Additional reporting by Ryan Woo in Beijing and Judicael Yongo in Bangui; Editing by Robert Birsel, Jamie Freed, Nellie Peyton and Hugh Lawson)
(Adds rebel denial in paragraph 6)
BEIJING/BANGUI, March 20 (Reuters) - China's embassy in
the Central African Republic has urged its citizens to avoid
travelling outside the capital Bangui after nine Chinese
nationals were killed in an attack by militants at a gold mine
outside the city.
The embassy said in a statement on Sunday there had been
many "vicious" security incidents against workers of foreign
mining enterprises in the area, and Chinese citizens still
outside Bangui were requested to evacuate immediately.
Armed men killed nine Chinese nationals and wounded two more
in an attack on a mine run by the Gold Coast Group, 25 km (15
miles) from the town of Bambari, its mayor told Reuters.
"It was yesterday morning around 5:00 a.m. (0300 GMT) that
we heard weapons being fired. A little later we learned it was
the Chinese mining site that was attacked," Abel Matchipata said
on Monday.
He said the attackers were thought to be from the Coalition
of Patriots for Change (CPC), an alliance of rebel groups formed
ahead of the 2020 presidential election to oppose President
Faustin-Archange Touadera.
The CPC in a statement denied responsibility and condemned
the attack.
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