Xi condemns killings of Chinese nationals in Central African Republic

President Xi Jinping condemned the killing of Chinese nationals at a gold mine in the Central African Republic and asked Bangui to "severely punish" the killers.

Mayor told the news agency Reuters that nine Chinese nationals were killed and two were wounded by armed in an attack on a mine run by the Gold Coast Group. The region where the incident happened is around 25 km from the town of Bambari.

Abel Matchipata said on Monday: "It was yesterday morning around 5:00 a.m. (0300 GMT) that we heard weapons being fired. A little later we learned it was the Chinese mining site that was attacked."

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A day before travelling to Russia, Xi gave "important instructions, demanding an all-out effort to treat the wounded, handle the aftermath in a timely manner".

As quoted by the news agency AFP, a foreign ministry spokesperson in Beijing said that the Chinese president urged to severely punish perpetrators in accordance with the law, and ensure the safety of Chinese citizens".

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Meanwhile, China's embassy in the Central African Republic asked its citizens to avoid travelling outside the capital Bangui.

The embassy issued a statement on Sunday and noted that there had been many "vicious" security incidents against workers of foreign mining enterprises in the area. As per the statement, Chinese citizens still outside Bangui were requested to evacuate immediately.

(With inputs from agencies)

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