On Sunday, May 26, 2024, as evening descended upon Zemio, a sub-prefecture situated in the volatile Haut-Mbomou region of the Central African Republic, a gathering was in full swing. Within the lively courtyard of a local bar-restaurant, approximately fifty individuals had convened to bid farewell to two visiting specialists. Joseph Figueira, a Belgian-Portuguese researcher and a respected authority on the Fulani people, along with his Ivorian colleague who resides in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo, was graciously providing refreshments for their local contacts. Their 48-hour field assessment, conducted on behalf of the American NGO FHI 360 as part of a United States Agency for International Development (USAID) project focused on local conflict prevention, was nearing completion. Their plans were set to return to Bangui the following day.
However, the celebratory mood was abruptly shattered when three members of the Wagner Group, a proxy force operating with national authorities since 2018, stormed the premises. They were accompanied by a Central African gendarme, whose role appeared to be translation, indicating a coordinated, albeit irregular, intervention.
Without any preamble or explanation, Joseph Figueira was immediately seized. The humanitarian professional was given no opportunity to collect his identification or other personal effects from the NGO offices where he was staying. He was swiftly confined at the local aerodrome, his wrists secured with handcuffs. Despite having been in the Central African Republic for nine days, during which he had conducted numerous meetings with officials in both the capital and the provinces to meticulously prepare this crucial conflict prevention initiative in collaboration with various local and international organizations, his legitimate presence was entirely disregarded. The Wagner operatives then proceeded to blindfold him and forcibly place him on an aircraft, subjecting him to several blows that left his nose bleeding, all in clear violation of established legal procedures.
However, the celebratory mood was abruptly shattered when three members of the Wagner Group, a proxy force operating with national authorities since 2018, stormed the premises. They were accompanied by a Central African gendarme, whose role appeared to be translation, indicating a coordinated, albeit irregular, intervention.
Without any preamble or explanation, Joseph Figueira was immediately seized. The humanitarian professional was given no opportunity to collect his identification or other personal effects from the NGO offices where he was staying. He was swiftly confined at the local aerodrome, his wrists secured with handcuffs. Despite having been in the Central African Republic for nine days, during which he had conducted numerous meetings with officials in both the capital and the provinces to meticulously prepare this crucial conflict prevention initiative in collaboration with various local and international organizations, his legitimate presence was entirely disregarded. The Wagner operatives then proceeded to blindfold him and forcibly place him on an aircraft, subjecting him to several blows that left his nose bleeding, all in clear violation of established legal procedures.
