The Chinese government has condemned the killing of nine Chinese nationals at a mining site in the Central African Republic (CAR), where a civil war is raging, and the president of China, Xi Jinping, called on Monday for the perpetrators to be “severely punished”.

Gunmen stormed a Chinese-operated gold mining site that had recently been launched in Central African Republic, killing nine Chinese nationals and wounding two others Sunday, authorities said.

However, the rebel coalition initially blamed by some for the attack put out a statement later in the day. Without providing evidence, it accused Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group of being behind the violence.

The attack early Sunday came just days after gunmen kidnapped three Chinese nationals in the country’s west near the border with Cameroon, prompting President Faustin Archange Touadera to plan a trip to China in a bid to reassure investors.

The assault on the Chimbolo gold mine began around 5 a.m. when the gunmen overpowered the site’s guards and opened fire, said Abel Matipata, mayor of the nearby town of Bambari, located 25 kilometers (16 miles) away. The mining site’s launch had taken place just days earlier, he added.

The bodies of the victims were brought to the capital, Bangui, later Sunday. Local authorities said they were pursuing the assailants, but declined further comment. Residents said that the violence was the latest incident undermining confidence in security forces.

“The government is having difficulty proving its ability to protect Central Africans and foreigners living in the country,” said Ange Morel Gbatangue, a resident of Bambari.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but suspicion fell on the Coalition of Patriots for Change, or CPC, which is active in the area and regularly launches attacks on the country’s armed forces. The alliance of rebel groups is aligned with former President Francois Bozize.

Anselme Bangue, who supports the current president’s administration, called the attack on Chinese businessmen an act of “indescribable cowardice.”

“The CPC has not only slowed down the country´s economic momentum, but is now attacking the foundation of development. This is unacceptable,” Bangue said.

However, CPC military spokesman Mamadou Koura said those allegations were false. He claimed without evidence that Russian mercenaries had planned the attack “with the goal of scaring Chinese who have been present long before the Russians settled in this part of the country.”

The shadowy Russian mercenary group was hired by Touadera to provide security and military training, but has been accused by U.N. observers of committing human rights abuses including massacres.

Central African Republic remains one of the poorest countries in the world despite its vast mineral wealth of gold and diamonds among others. A myriad of rebel groups have operated with impunity across the embattled country over the past decade, thwarting mining exploration by foreign companies.

Many of those now operating in the country are Chinese-run and have faced security challenges. In 2020, two Chinese nationals died when local residents led an uprising against a Chinese-operated mine in Sosso Nakombo. And in 2018, three Chinese citizens were killed by angry community members after a local leader died in a boating accident while accompanying Chinese miners to a site.

Over half a million people have been displaced towards camps by the ongoing civil war in the Central African Republic.

The deplorable living conditions in the camps has enticed several people to return to their homes, as is the case for Jean Bako.

“We have been here for five years. Many have lost their homes, their families, and some of the valuable assets. We stayed but it is because of the deplorable living conditions that we want to return to our homes. This is why some are still on the site and others have left voluntarily,” explains Jean Bako, a shoemaker internally displaced by the cycle of violence.

The PK3 camp in Bria, in the east houses the largest population of internally displaced persons according to the Central African Commission for Population Movements.

The camp is plagued by numerous shortages that adversely affect living conditions.

“Here in the camp, we really have drinking water problems. Having water is not easy. We also have health problems related to lack of toilets. Having to eat is also difficult these days in the camp because there is inflation of food products on the market, especially cassava flour. So living here isn’t easy,” deplores Florentin Ngouyola, PK3 camp inhabitant.

As a result, humanitarian actors such as the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) have mobilized resources in order to support those whom wish to leave.

“The PK3 site is the largest site of displaced persons in the CAR and these people have expressed the desire to return to their original neighborhoods with the improvement of the security situation. And this appeal was heard by humanitarian actors, including UNHCR, which mobilized resources with the Humanitarian Fund to support 3,000 households in the various neighborhoods of Bria this year,” announces Laëtitia Kakou-Silué, Head of the UNHCR office in Bria.

The conflict in the CAR, which was extremely deadly for civilians, peaked in 2018 before decreasing in intensity. Bria, the diamond capital located 600 km northeast of Bangui, was one of the epicenter of tensions between armed groups.

Since the beginning of the civil war in 2012, thousands of people have been killed and many have fled to neighboring Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo.