China's President Xi Jinping condemns killings of miners in CAR

China's President Xi Jinping says the killers of nine Chinese goldmine workers in the Central African Republic (CAR) must be "severely" punished.

Two Chinese workers were also wounded when gunmen stormed a mining site near the central town of Bambari on Sunday.

The local mayor blamed a rebel group for the killings.

But the rebels said Russian mercenaries from the Wagner group were behind the attack.

The Wagner group has not yet commented on the claim.

Its fighters are widely reported to have been deployed to mineral-rich CAR to help government forces defeat the Coalition of Patriots for Change (CPC), an alliance of rebel groups. read more