Ten people including a child were killed after being seized from motorcycle taxis in war-torn Central African Republic, with a local official on Wednesday blaming “thugs” for the attack.
Taking place in Djamangoundji, about 600 kilometers (370 miles) northwest of the capital Bangui, Monday’s attack targeted passengers from the central town of Ippy traveling back from a religious festival in the locality of Bria.
The mineral-rich region, located in one of the world’s poorest nations, has been plagued by infighting from rival militias vying for control over the proceeds of its ample natural resources.
Bria MP Jacques Tafogo said he was “shocked” by the manner of the killings.
“The victims were tied up and had their throats slit… the population is in shock,” he told AFP on the phone from Bangui.
The perpetrators, who are yet to be identified, “murdered six motorcycle taxi drivers from Bria, four people from Ippy and a child,” Haute-Kotto prefecture Evariste Biguinindji told Radio Guira on Wednesday.
Biguinindji declared three days of mourning as a result, urging the population to remain calm while the security forces conducted a sweep.
Motorcycle taxi drivers have gone on strike until Friday as a result of the violence, lawmaker Tafogo said, adding that the area has seen similar sporadic incidents.
An attack on motorcycle taxis in September left around 10 dead, he said.
At the end of 2016, deadly fighting between rival militias plundering the resources of the diamond and gold-rich region led to the flight of 80 percent of Bria’s population.
Since gaining independence from France in 1960, the CAR has been plagued by instability, civil wars, and coups.
Seventy-one percent of its more than six million people live below the poverty line, according to the World Bank.
The country has also been wrecked by a civil war since 2013, although the intensity of the conflict has lessened in past years.
The CAR is home to many precious resources, including gem-quality diamond deposits and gold veins.
Mining and research permits have been issued to Chinese, American, and Rwandan groups — as well as to Russian firms linked to the Wagner mercenary militia.
The infamous paramilitary force has been involved in the CAR since 2018, sending hundreds of troops to support the government against the country’s many armed rebel groups.