The Central African Republic (CAR) has rapidly transformed into a major hub for an expanding network of international organised crime, where armed conflict intersects with global flows of gold, diamonds, timber, and illicit drugs. Speaking on the findings of a new report, Ruben de Koning, senior expert at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime, warned that a multi-year shift has accelerated the criminal capture of the landlocked nation’s economy.
While the resource-rich country has long been a battlefield between the government and armed groups fighting for control over gold and diamonds, De Koning highlighted a distinct acceleration over the past five years following the deployment of Russia and its Wagner Group. This presence has pushed Wagner and the state itself to the center of the criminal economy. According to De Koning, Wagner has come to dominate the country’s booming gold sector, while everyday economic sectors like fuel and livestock have been captured by criminal networks embedded within the state that illegally profit from them.
The crown jewel of this capture is the industrialised Ndassima gold mine, which Wagner has completely seized. The mine is estimated to produce around five tons of gold annually, valued at roughly $500 million on the world market, which represents the lion’s share of the local extractive economy. De Koning noted that while other foreign powers like China and Rwanda have secured economic footholds, Russia remains the regime’s privileged partner, utilising the CAR as its most lucrative sphere of influence in Africa to help finance its war in Ukraine.
This economic capture has been driven by heavy violence, with state-aligned actors utilizing aerial operations and indiscriminate airstrikes to control territory and eliminate market competitors. De Koning warned that this represents a distinct modus operandi being mirrored by Wagner and the state-controlled Africa Corps in countries like Mali.
Crucially, the CAR now serves as a vital stepping stone for Russian power across the continent, with aircraft transferred to the country being actively used to deploy forces into West Africa and extend operations into Darfur, Sudan.
–ChannelAfrica–
