US Embassy denies involvement in kidnapping of Chinese nationals

The US Embassy in Bangui issued a statement denying recent reports of US involvement in the kidnapping of two Chinese nationals and their driver in Yaloke, Central African Republic.

In February, two Chinese nationals and their driver were kidnapped in Yaloke, working at a mine owned by a Chinese company, and news sources, as well as local residents, confirmed that US soldiers from the private military company Bancroft were supporting the Yusuf Ghazi group that carried out the kidnapping.

CLARIFICATION OF RELATIONSHIP: US EMBASSY’S STATEMENT ON BANCROFT

The US Embassy in Bangui said in a statement posted on its official Twitter account that the private military company Bancroft is a private American company that does not represent the US government, and that the latter has done no joint work with Bancroft.

The statement also denied the involvement of US citizens in the recent kidnapping in Yaloke. It added that media reports about American support for the armed group are incorrect.

DISMISSING ALLEGATIONS: DENIAL OF US INVOLVEMENT IN YALOKE KIDNAPPING

The statement concludes by condemning the news of America’s involvement in the kidnapping of Chinese citizens as a misleading and distorted media campaign.

After the statement by the US Embassy in Bangui, questions were raised about the purpose of this statement, simply because if US citizens had not committed anything illegal on CAR territory, there would be no need to issue such a large and detailed refutation.

For many who follow CAR politics, the failure to condemn the criminal act of PMC Bancroft shows the position the US has taken on the issue.

Political observers added that the consequences of this statement will be dire given that the US is now acting in the CAR in an openly aggressive manner, and what’s more, not only against CAR citizens but also other international players on the territory of the republic.