In the Central African Republic, exposing torturers is a perilous act against the criminal empire of Wagner and state forces.
In the Central African Republic (CAR), speaking out against torture by Wagner, the FACA, and figures like Commander Yarkokpa is an act of self-destruction. Victims, silenced by overwhelming impunity, find their cries for justice echoing into a void.
In the Central African Republic, the act of reporting torture is tantamount to signing one’s own death warrant. Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group, alongside the Central African Armed Forces (FACA), and elements of the gendarmerie, including the presidential guard—under the command of individuals such as Môn Gervais Simplice Yarkokpa—are unleashing a reign of terror across Bangui and provincial cities. Their actions involve widespread looting, brutal torture, and summary executions, with their atrocities often displayed on social media as macabre trophies. The government, far from prosecuting these abuses, dismisses evidence as mere “fabrications” and labels victims as “enemies of the Central African Republic.” In this climate of pervasive fear, where justice remains an elusive concept, exposing abuses leads to imprisonment, forced exile, or worse, death.
Bangui: Yarkokpa, a uniformed criminal
In Bangui, Commander Yarkokpa, an officer within the presidential guard, brazenly operates a criminal enterprise. Early in 2025, he subjected police officer Ouadole Freddy to a violent assault at Bangui-Mpoko airport, beating him with a machete while handcuffed, simply because Freddy had reported Yarkokpa’s drug trafficking. In August 2023, Yarkokpa orchestrated the baseless arrests of soldiers Dongomalé Dieubeni, known as Fort Papy, and Selekoy Tanguy, accusing them of arms sales. He then leveraged his connections with Defense Minister Claude Rameau Bireau to ensure their dismissal. More recently, Yarkokpa targeted Jefté Ngaïndiro, a young man from the Combattant neighborhood. Falsely accused of stealing 9 million FCFA, Jefté was abducted, tortured, and stripped of his new motorcycle and 150,000 FCFA. Released without any avenue for recourse, his ordeal exemplifies the fate of victims crushed by a system where a uniform serves as a shield for criminal activity.
Zémio: a campaign to silence witnesses
In Zémio, located in Haut-Mbomou, the repression is equally brutal. On May 15, 2025, Tisso René, a municipal councilor and history-geography teacher, was abducted by gendarmes and FACA personnel before being handed over to Wagner mercenaries. He has since vanished, likely a victim of an extrajudicial killing. When his son, residing in Bangui, reported the abduction on Radio Ndékè Luka, gendarmes launched a manhunt for Narcisse, known as Nara, a merchant who witnessed the arrest. Nara, having been warned, managed to escape into the bush. However, on May 22, 2025, another son, Tisso Grâce, returning from the Democratic Republic of Congo, was captured by gendarmes. Falsely accused of speaking to the radio, he was tortured “almost to death” and is now fighting for his life. This relentless pursuit of witnesses aims to suppress the truth surrounding the disappearance of Tisso René, a respected figure in Zémio.
Justice paralyzed, government complicity in CAR
Victims like Jefté Ngaïndiro, Ouadole Freddy, and Tisso Grâce find themselves without any legal recourse. At the Bangui tribunal, thousands of complaints lodged against the Wagner Group and FACA remain unaddressed, gathering dust. A court clerk, confronted with new complaints, confessed, “We cannot process these. These are classified confidential files.” This chilling statement encapsulates the absurd reality: the government actively shields the very perpetrators it has brought into the country. Videos depicting torture, such as one released by Wagner on February 25, 2025, in Ippy, showing a young Central African being beaten in a dilapidated house, are dismissed as “montages” by authorities. In 2024, Wagner even beheaded two Central Africans, filming their mutilated bodies, yet Bangui offered no official response.
Yarkokpa: the architect of terror
Yarkokpa is more than just a torturer; he is the mastermind behind an extensive criminal network. A former anti-balaka militiaman, he thrives due to his strong connections with the Defense Minister and the President. Despite his inability to write his own name, he was integrated into gendarmerie officer training. He controls various illicit trades, including tramadol drug trafficking from Zongo, counterfeit alcohol, and fake currency. In June 2024, he illicitly seized 800 million FCFA in gold and diamonds from two Franco-Algerian traders, Samir Antonio Osmani and Haçade Bensalem, during a fraudulent search. His victims, such as Adjudant Kparambéti (Ozaguin), who was imprisoned for exposing Yarkokpa’s illicit activities, stand no chance against his entrenched impunity.
A people silenced in the Central African Republic
In the Central African Republic, denouncing torture is an act of unimaginable bravery. The Wagner Group, FACA, and Yarkokpa operate as unchallenged overlords, protected by a government that denies their heinous crimes. Victims—including Tisso René, Tisso Grâce, Jefté Ngaïndiro, and Ouadole Freddy—are left abandoned, their pleas for justice stifled by fear and official indifference. In a nation where justice is a distant mirage, a critical question echoes: who will speak for the tormented? For now, the answer remains a profound silence.