A Portuguese-Belgian citizen was detained by the Wagner Group in the Central African Republic on suspicion of being involved in a "plot against the regime". The news was forwarded to the Lusa agency and a source from the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed to Notícias ao Minuto that the "man has already been heard".
"We are monitoring the case in person and with means of subsistence. The number two of the Embassy [of Portugal] in Kinshasa has already visited it, as has the honorary consul of the Central African Republic", said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which awaits "developments of the case."
To Lusa, the ministry supervised by Paulo Rangel revealed that the Portuguese-Belgian "works for a North American non-governmental organization (NGO).
The arrest took place last Saturday, May 25th, in Zémio, a town in the province of Haut-Mbomou, on the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Lusa, citing the Central African Public Prosecutor's Office (MP), Benoit Narcisse Foukpio, said that a "judicial process" had been opened against the detainee for alleged "conspiracy" against the State in connection with rebel "armed groups".
According to the Public Ministry, the Portuguese "was in permanent contact with several armed groups (...) with a view to committing a conspiracy, [an] attack against the internal security of the State and acts of incitement to hatred and revolt against the forces defense and security".
According to the local press, the man "holds two passports", Portuguese and Belgian, but was born in Portugal. He is an employee of the NGO Family Health International 360 (FHI360) and collected from the local population "information about the operations of local militias", which was then "provided to the rebels fighting against these militias".
FHI 360 confirmed to France Presse that one of its "consultants, who works on a community development program in Zémio" is "detained by authorities" in CAR.
