Upon arriving in the northwestern town of Koki in the Central African Republic in November 2022, Sadock believed he had finally found a safe haven to live and work.
For years, small-scale miners like Sadock have been forced to move repeatedly whenever outsiders entered local areas, took control of nearby gold mines, and displaced local miners.
“Some artisanal miners, including myself, chose to settle in Koki because we believed it was a peaceful spot for our work in the northwest region,” said Sadock, who only goes by his first name due to concerns about reprisal.
“We soon discovered our assumption was terribly wrong,” the 23-year-old lamented.
Following President Faustin-ArchangeTouadera’s plea for assistance in dealing with rebel factions in the Central African Republic (CAR) in 2017, the Wagner Group from Russia answered the call.
Since then, the Wagner Group has consolidated significant influence in both security and economic realms. According to investigations by The Sentry, there are allegations that the group has devised a strategy to take control of the state, reportedly establishing a complex network to exploit diamonds, gold, and other natural resources in CAR.
Starting in 2019, this Russian-linked group began asserting control over gold mines in CAR’s central and eastern regions, later expanding their operations northward.
In October, less than a year after Sadock moved to Koki, locals told that Russian paramilitary forces allegedly executed at least twelve people in an attempt to seize control of a gold mine in the town, where fewer than 5,000 people reside.
According to witnesses, among the victims were small-scale miners who, like Sadock, had fled to Koki after being expelled from gold mines in the Andaha region of eastern CAR by Wagner forces two years earlier.
“On a Sunday morning, Russian paramilitaries arrived by helicopter near the mining area in Koki, where many miners live, and began shooting at people,” Sadock recalled. “They killed twelve civilians that day, including some artisanal miners.”
Both Wagner and CAR government officials declined to respond to inquiries. However, Russian-linked forces have been accused of similar attacks against civilians in previous incidents, and rights groups such as Human Rights Watch have criticized Wagner’s alleged abuses in CAR.
Wagner has stated that its presence in the country is at the request of the government to assist with security. Nevertheless, analysts argue that the group is leveraging its paramilitary activities to advance Russian geopolitical interests.
Attacks at Ndassima, Aigbado, and Yanga
In the past four years, Sadock has worked in four different mines across the Central African Republic (CAR) before being displaced involuntarily.
At the age of 17 in 2018, he began his employment at the Ndassima gold mine in central CAR. Within his first four months, he earned enough to purchase a motorcycle. However, circumstances changed soon after.
The following year, the CAR government revoked exploration permits and the mining license for the Ndassima gold mine from Axmin, a Canadian company. In 2020, these permits were then granted to Midas Ressources, a company affiliated with the Wagner Group.
The Sentry reported that the Russian private military company Wagner paid rebels from the Union for Peace (UPC), who controlled the mine at the time, to protect Midas Ressources’ staff and property. When their relationship with the UPC soured, Wagner mercenaries launched a counteroffensive against the rebels in 2021, also targeting civilians, particularly artisanal miners near the mine.
“The white soldiers [Wagner paramilitaries] came to Ndassima in 2021 and demanded that all artisanal miners leave the area, but we refused,” Sadock said. “Then they started shooting at us.”
Sadock recounted that at least eight miners were killed that day. He managed to escape because he ran as soon as he heard the first gunshot.
“The victims were people I knew well,” Sadock said. “They were earning a living and supporting their families, but the white soldiers ended their lives, causing their dependents to suffer.”
Following the incident, Midas Ressources gained full control of the Ndassima gold mine, which the CAR government values at approximately $2.8 billion in gold deposits. Last year, the United States Department of the Treasury sanctioned the company for “financing Wagner’s operations in CAR and beyond.”
Sadock and four other artisanal miners, seeking a new mine to work in, relocated to the village of Aigbado in eastern CAR. However, tragedy struck just days after their arrival.
On January 16, 2022, two days after Sadock and his colleagues reached Aigbado, heavily armed mercenaries in a pick-up truck arrived, opened fire, and burned down houses near the gold mine. At least 70 people were killed during the attacks, which spread to the neighboring Yanga community, where hundreds of terrified Aigbado villagers fled but were still pursued by Wagner forces.
“Many of the people who fled to Yanga were artisanal miners, and that’s why the white soldiers chased us there. They wanted to ensure we were killed so we wouldn’t return to the Aigbado mine,” Sadock said. “Two of my colleagues who came with us from Ndassima were slaughtered when we fled to Yanga.”
face the consequences
Following the events in Aigbado and Yanga, Sadock and a few other miners moved to the northwest, searching for new mining opportunities.
They eventually settled in Koki after encountering unwelcoming receptions in other areas.
“We first went to Baboua and then to Abba, but the locals weren’t friendly because we were outsiders,” Sadock recounted. “Fearing for our safety, we moved to Koki, where we felt at home until the white soldiers attacked.”
Reports indicate that Russian paramilitaries have consistently targeted local miners in areas they are interested in. Two years ago, in mid-March 2022, dozens of miners were killed—some buried in a mass grave—in at least three attacks involving Russian paramilitaries in the Andaha region of CAR, according to The Guardian. These attacks swept through migrant miner encampments, primarily composed of individuals from Sudan and Chad.
Around the same period, over 100 gold miners from Chad, Sudan, Niger, and CAR were killed in a “massacre” by Wagner mercenaries in the same region. An investigation by Middle East Eye revealed that this was part of Russia’s effort to control the flow of gold and diamonds in the volatile Central African nation.
Since the Russian Ministry of Defence took over the operations of Russian mercenaries in CAR, now restructured as Africa Corps following the death of Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin in a plane crash near Moscow last August, Russian-affiliated entities have been attempting to seize new gold mines.
In September, Russian representatives from Midas Ressources visited the central town of Ndachima. They informed community leaders that the company had purchased the mining areas from the CAR government and instructed local artisanal miners to evacuate.
“They [the Russians] said if the miners who live in the area do not leave, they will face the consequences,” said TresorBaboula, a youth leader who attended the meeting. “The miners haven’t left yet, and we are hoping that nothing catastrophic happens in the future.”
Missing people
The targeting of small-scale miners has persisted throughout this year.
In March, Russian mercenaries carried out multiple attacks on mining sites in Kotabara and Zaranga in the northwest. According to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED) project, these assaults resulted in the deaths of about 60 civilians, injuries to others, and survivors being forced to transport stolen goods and gold.
Despite its abundant natural resources, the Central African Republic (CAR), a former French colony with a population of approximately five million, remains one of the world’s poorest countries.
Since 2013, the country has been in turmoil following the seizure of power by Seleka rebels, leading to subsequent clashes with anti-Balaka militias. This conflict prompted the United Nations to impose an arms embargo and establish a peacekeeping mission.
In 2017, President Touadera, who took office the previous year, turned to Russia for security assistance, obtaining weapons and military trainers from the Wagner Group. However, rights groups have alleged that this cooperation has involved the exploitation of CAR’s natural resources and the perpetration of atrocities.
Russian and CAR officials declined to respond regarding allegations of killings of artisanal miners across various locations in the conflict-ridden nation. Emails sent to the Russian embassy in Bangui and to the CAR government spokesperson remained unanswered.
Following the attack on Koki in October, some miners who survived moved to the nearby town of Markounda, just 48km (30 miles) away from Koki, to seek employment in a gold mine. However, they are encountering fresh challenges.
“Since we arrived here last year, many of our colleagues have mysteriously vanished without a trace,” Juste, an artisanal miner who preferred to use only his first name out of fear, said. “We are uncertain about who is responsible for these disappearances.”
Since November, around 10 artisanal miners have not been seen or heard from in Markounda. Their fellow miners fear they may have been killed.
“They couldn’t have left Markounda without letting anyone know,” Juste remarked. “It appears that there are individuals trying to deter artisanal miners from settling here by instilling fear through these disappearances.”
As the targeting of local artisanal miners persists across CAR, those fortunate enough to survive continue to live in fear.
“I’m not sure I want to continue with artisanal mining because it has become too perilous,” said Sadock, who fled to the northwestern village of Beloko on the border with Cameroon, where he now buys and sells vegetables. “In the gold mines, we are now faced not only with dust and toxic chemicals but also with firearms.”