According to Russian Satellite News Agency, Agence France-Presse and other media reports, officials in the city of Bambala in the Central African Republic said that a local gold mine factory was attacked on the 19th, killing 9 Chinese citizens and injuring 2 others.
Presentation of the Central African Republic
The Central African Republic is a landlocked country in the central part of the African continent, with a population of about 5 million and a land area of 623,000 square kilometres. The country has a variety of mineral deposits such as diamonds, gold oil, nickel, manganese and more. In recent years, the country's security environment has deteriorated, and some Chinese citizens have become the focus of kidnapping and extortion by bandits.
The official website of the Chinese Embassy in Central Africa issued a notice on March 14 reminding the country that there have been frequent security incidents in recent months, and there have been many security incidents, including foreign citizens abducted by local armed elements. Chinese institutions and citizens of China and Africa, as well as Chinese citizens who wish to come to Central Africa, should not travel outside the capital Bangui.
Gold mines attacked
On March 19, the Chinese Embassy in China and Africa posted on its website that there were frequent security incidents in other provinces in China and Africa, requesting Chinese citizens outside Bangui, the capital of Central Africa, to evacuate immediately.
Question 1: Why go to the Central African Republic to mine gold?
Everyone actually knows that the Central African Republic has a low safety index, but why go to the Central African Republic to open gold mines?
We analyze from the perspective of African gold mining
First of all, most countries in Africa have government reserve banks to collect local gold, but because the government does not have the ability to mine gold, it will invite many foreign companies to mine, such as China or Western countries.
Second, after foreign enterprises open gold mining plants, they sell the mined gold to the reserve banks of various countries, and the banks will collect gold according to the international gold exchange rate. There is a contradiction here, according to the international gold price to trade will not have much profit, but if the mining area is far from the supervision or far from the capital, the mined gold is sold to the local gold and silver merchants, so the difference will be much more, and in countries where the war or safety index is not high, the difference will be even greater, so this is the current situation of gold mining in Africa.
Therefore, it is not difficult to imagine that the gold mine attacked this time belongs to a mining area far from the supervision area, and the safety and security are relatively backward, so such a tragedy occurred.
Question 2: Where are the peacekeeping forces?
Many people may ask where are the peacekeeping forces?
Chinese peacekeeping
In fact, at the end of 2013, the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution authorizing the African Union-led International Support Mission and the French army to protect civilians and maintain security in the Central African Republic. In February of the following year, Ban Ki-moon called on the AU and France to immediately send at least 3,000 additional troops and police to the Central African Republic to curb violence and protect civilians.
Chinese peacekeeping
However, peacekeepers are not superhuman and do not arrive at any time when any problem occurs.
Workaround
In this complex international environment, the Chinese who still venture to work, live or do business in Africa can be said to be the braver of their time, and they embody the spirit of Chinese fearless of hardships and dangers.
Jepti Chinese military base
So what can the mainland do to protect them effectively?
I believe that the Chinese People's Liberation Army, as the strongest army on the surface, if it has its own bases in the corresponding countries in Africa and monitors the areas where Chinese citizens are concentrated, it can provide timely rescue and protection in the event of an emergency.
Location of Djibouti
At present, China has only a military base in Kibouti in Africa, but I believe that in the near future, more countries will accept China and welcome the Chinese People's Liberation Army to station, and the mainland will also work with the African people for mutual benefit and prosperity.