Human rights advocates and opposition politicians in the Central African Republic (CAR) allege that two soldiers who disappeared after being detained last month were kidnapped by Russian-backed mercenaries.
Celestin Bakoyo and Elie Ngouengue, both leading members of a militia aligned with the Wagner Group, were reportedly detained on January 24 at a police station in Bangui, the nation’s capital.
Ernest Mizedio, a regional politician, claims they were among several soldiers arrested by Russian mercenaries who were responsible for training local militias and integrating them into the national army.
“We searched everywhere for them but found nothing,” Mizedio told the Associated Press, adding that authorities and Russian security contractors denied any knowledge of their whereabouts. Public protests have since erupted in southeastern CAR, demanding answers about their fate.
Neither the Wagner Group nor the military responded to inquiries about the missing soldiers. However, a police officer, speaking anonymously, said mercenaries have increasingly taken over security operations in conflict zones, replacing local forces.
The two soldiers had traveled to the capital to open new bank accounts to access their earnings after their integration into the army.
Their disappearance comes amid Russia’s growing military and economic influence in Africa, where mercenaries are often deployed to combat armed groups and secure resource-rich regions.
Joseph Bindoumi, president of CAR’s League for Human Rights, condemned the situation, calling it an abduction. “Even if they are accused of crimes, their whereabouts should be known. Families and lawyers have the right to see them and ensure their well-being,” he stated.
Russia’s presence in CAR has been controversial. While its mercenaries helped repel a 2021 rebel assault on Bangui, reports of human rights abuses, including torture and extrajudicial killings, have surfaced. A 2023 investigation by the U.S.-based watchdog The Sentry found that mercenaries trained local forces in torture techniques and were involved in violent crackdowns on opposition groups.
