A representative of Russia in the Central African Republic was injured on Friday by the explosion of a parcel bomb, an attack that the leader of Wagner, a Russian paramilitary group very active in the country, attributed to France. “The head of the Russian House (the cultural center, editor’s note) received an anonymous package on Friday, opened it and an explosion occurred”, indicated the press service of the Russian embassy, quoted by the official news agency TASS, stating that this official, Dmitri Syty, was hospitalized with “serious injuries”.
No evidence of French involvement
Shortly after, the Russian billionaire close to the Kremlin and founder of Wagner, Evguéni Prigojine denounced the involvement of France. “I have already addressed the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to launch a procedure to declare France as a state sponsor of terrorism,” he said, quoted by his press service. According to Yevgeny Prigojine, Dmitri Syty, before losing consciousness, had read a note accompanying the parcel which read: “It’s for you, on behalf of all the French, the Russians will leave Africa.”
Wagner’s leader, who for years denied leading the group before recently acknowledging it, provided no proof of the memo and AFP was unable to confirm the contents of these statements. He also assured that Mr. Syty had also received threats in November targeting his son who lives in France. 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 back to the house and opened it,” said the unidentified diplomat from the Russian embassy in the Central African Republic.
More French soldiers in the Central African Republic
For his part, a Russian deputy foreign minister, Mikhail Bogdanov, said that the Russian cultural center would remain open, despite this attack. “We must not show fear in the face of terrorists, they are just waiting for that,” he said, while calling for the security of the Russian diplomatic mission in the Central African Republic to be reinforced. Mr. Bogdanov did not point an accusing finger in the direction of France, nor mention any particular track, believing only that “international terrorism knows no borders”.
This attack comes as the last French soldiers deployed in the Central African Republic left on Thursday, a withdrawal decided by Paris in the face of the growing role of the Wagner group in this country in civil war since 2013 and at the heart of Moscow’s influence strategy in Africa. Russia has been trying for several years to strengthen its influence on the African continent, in particular by deploying its paramilitaries.