Russian Mercenaries Allegedly Kill Civilians In Brian, Central African Republic

More than 90 civilians were allegedly massacred by Russian mercenaries of the Wagner Group in various localities in Bria on the Ouadda highway on Wednesday, Feb. 9.

According to various eyewitness accounts, the killings took place in Mouka and Yangoudroudja. 

The attack against civilians in the Mouka village started at midday of Wednesday with the arrival of a convoy of Russian mercenaries in the village.

“The Russians started shooting at point blank range at people sending the populations shouting and scattering in panic. Almost the entire population have escaped into the bushes leaving behind their houses, motorcycles, household belongings and foodstuff,”  a local source told HumAngle. 

“Russian mercenaries eventually set fire to the houses burning down one hundred of them before carrying away all the belongings therein.”

“The most wicked part of the attack in Mouka was that the Russian mercenaries traced some of the fleeing people to a health centre in a village situated about twenty kilometres from Bria. There they found four wounded persons. After questioning the four, they bound them hands and feet, tied heavy stones on their necks and threw them into a nearby river.”

The most violent massacre of civilians took place in the village of Yangoudroudja, situated 155 kilometres on the Ndele highway, according to witnesses. 

“It was a different group of Russian mercenaries that invaded this village on February 9, 2022 at midday,” said another source. 

“More than 60 civilians were massacred and about 200 houses were burnt down. The most harrowing part of this massacre was the burning alive of a woman and the child she had just given birth to.”.

Another village visited by the Russian mercenaries was Gbouhou, situated about 200 kilometres from Bria on the Ndele highway.

“On hearing about the massacres in Yangoudroudja village, the inhabitants of Gbouhou were panic-stricken and all of them took to their heels for the bushes. Women, children, old and young men, all with their bags, hurriedly abandoned the village,” one villager who gave his name as Panza Andre revealed.

The total body count in all the three villages is more than 90 so far and the figure is expected to rise as some seriously wounded persons currently hiding in the bushes may eventually die or have died already.

All the localities along the Bria-Ndele highway have gold and diamond mining sites and the Russian mercenaries of Wagner Security Group had in December last year warned all the youths in the villages to stay away from mining sites.

Willybiro Sacko, a minister of state in the government of President Faustin Archange Touadera had warned the local populations in advance of the impending massacres.