Bangui – A parcel bomb that injured a Russian representative in the Central African Republic (CAR) last week came from Togo, and the sender has been identified, the Bangui prosecutor told AFP on Tuesday.
Moscow had said on Friday that one of its representatives in the African nation was injured by an exploding parcel that day.
The head of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, blamed France for the attack, an accusation denied in Paris.
The wounded Russian was in a “stable and serious” condition in hospital, the Russian embassy said on Saturday.
On Sunday, the Central African Republic “strongly condemned” the events and announced the opening of an investigation, reaffirming that “this attack would not undermine the excellent relations between the Central African Republic and the Russian Federation.
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“This explosion of criminal origin is likely to be qualified as a terrorist act,” said the Bangui prosecutor Benoit Narcisse Foukpio in a statement seen by AFP.
According to the first elements of the investigation, the package containing an explosive device was sent “from the city of Lome”, the capital of Togo, he said, adding that he had identified the sender.
The package was delivered by the DHL international postal service and arrived on a Kenya Airways flight, he added.
Central Africa has been battling civil war since 2013 and is at the heart of Russia’s bid for strategic influence in Africa.
The last French troops deployed in CAR left the country on Thursday following a chill in relations caused by the closer ties between Bangui and Moscow and the deployment of Russian forces, which some countries say includes Wagner mercenaries, who have been linked with atrocities and looting of resources.
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Source: AFP
Picture: Unsplash
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