As twilight descended on Zemio this Sunday, May 26, 2024, a lively gathering took place in the courtyard of a bar-restaurant within the Haut-Mbomou sub-prefecture. This region, known for its persistent community conflicts, was the backdrop for a farewell toast. Joseph Figueira, a Belgian-Portuguese researcher, and his Ivorian colleague, based in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo, were hosting local contacts. They were concluding a field assessment mission for the American NGO FHI 360, part of a project funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Approximately fifty individuals were present, celebrating the imminent departure of the two experts, who were scheduled to return to Bangui the following day after a 48-hour stay. However, the convivial atmosphere was abruptly shattered when three members of the Wagner Group, operating as auxiliary forces for the national authorities since 2018, interrupted the event. They were accompanied by a Central African gendarme, serving as a translator.
Without hesitation, the Wagner operatives seized Joseph Figueira. The humanitarian worker had no opportunity to retrieve his documents from the NGO’s premises, where he was accommodated, before finding himself handcuffed and confined at the aerodrome.
A respected specialist on the Peuls community, Figueira’s presence in the Central African Republic was entirely legitimate. He had been in the country for nine days, engaging with numerous officials in both the capital and the provinces to lay the groundwork for a future local conflict prevention initiative, in collaboration with various local and international organizations. Despite his impeccable legal standing, the Wagner men proceeded to forcibly remove him. Hooded and subjected to physical blows, which left his nose bleeding, he was taken aboard an aircraft, entirely outside of any legal framework.
Without hesitation, the Wagner operatives seized Joseph Figueira. The humanitarian worker had no opportunity to retrieve his documents from the NGO’s premises, where he was accommodated, before finding himself handcuffed and confined at the aerodrome.
A respected specialist on the Peuls community, Figueira’s presence in the Central African Republic was entirely legitimate. He had been in the country for nine days, engaging with numerous officials in both the capital and the provinces to lay the groundwork for a future local conflict prevention initiative, in collaboration with various local and international organizations. Despite his impeccable legal standing, the Wagner men proceeded to forcibly remove him. Hooded and subjected to physical blows, which left his nose bleeding, he was taken aboard an aircraft, entirely outside of any legal framework.
