An extraordinary account emerges from Joseph Figueira, the Belgian-Portuguese researcher who endured two years of detention at the hands of Wagner mercenaries. His ordeal began precisely two years ago in Zemio, located in the southeastern Central African Republic, culminating in his humanitarian release on April 7. The central question remains: was his arrest a random occurrence, or was he a deliberately chosen target for political propaganda? Figueira now shares his harrowing experience, detailing his time in secret Wagner holding cells and Central African prisons, where he often feared for his life. Speaking from Portugal, where he is recovering with his family, the researcher provided his testimony to Christophe Boisbouvier.
Figueira vividly recalls moments of profound despair, particularly during his time in Bria, stating, “At Bria, I truly believed I wouldn’t survive.” His testimony offers a rare glimpse into the brutal realities faced by those detained by private military contractors in volatile regions. The researcher’s liberation, granted on humanitarian grounds, concludes a distressing chapter, but his experiences raise significant questions about the targeting of individuals and the broader implications for international observers in the Central African Republic.
