The Central African Republic government has suspended the operations of a Chinese mining company, Daqing SARL, citing allegations of cooperation with armed militias, according to an official decree.
The Ministry of Mines accused Daqing SARL, involved in gold and diamond mining, of several violations, including colluding with armed groups, illegal mining, unauthorized entry of foreign nationals into mining areas, tax evasion, and failure to submit activity reports. The decree, issued on Saturday, detailed these charges.
Daqing SARL operated in Mingala, a southern town plagued by conflicts between the national armed forces and the Coalition of Patriots for Change (CPC), an anti-government group.
The Central African Republic has been embroiled in conflict since 2013, when predominantly Muslim rebels overthrew President François Bozize, leading to clashes with predominantly Christian militias. A 2019 peace deal reduced the violence, but six of the 14 signatory armed groups later abandoned the agreement, and the CPC was formed in 2020.
Despite its abundant mineral resources, including gold and diamonds, the country remains one of the world’s poorest.
Rebel groups have disrupted foreign mining operations for years, and many of the current foreign companies are Chinese. Security issues persist, with incidents like the recent killing of four workers at a Chinese-run gold mine, attributed to the CPC by local authorities.
In the past year, nine Chinese nationals were killed at another gold mine in the country, with the government blaming the CPC. In 2020, two Chinese nationals died in an uprising against a Chinese-operated mine in the south