Chinese citizens risk becoming ‘mining slaves’ in Central African Republic gold rush

China’s embassy in the Central African Republic (CAR) has issued a stark warning to its citizens, saying they risk becoming “mining slaves” in the conflict-ridden nation’s gold sector as more Chinese workers head to sub-Saharan Africa amid shrinking employment opportunities at home.

In a statement on Thursday, the embassy said Chinese nationals in CAR had been killed, kidnapped by armed groups, or scammed by supposed business partners.

Others have been stripped of their documents and forced into illicit mining operations before being deported for illegal activities, Reuters reported.

“Chinese citizens engaged in gold mining operations in the Central African Republic face significant security risks,” the embassy in Bangui said, noting reports of nationals having their passports confiscated and effectively being turned into “mining slaves.”

The warning comes as rising gold prices and large-scale state-backed buying in China fuel a rush of Chinese workers into resource-rich African countries. With construction and factory jobs disappearing in China’s slowing economy, many are heading abroad in search of income.

CAR, along with the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana and Mali, has become a hotspot for illegal mining networks operating under weak regulation and limited state oversight.

The embassy did not say how many Chinese citizens were working in CAR’s illegal mines, but detailed the dangers they face: some have been killed in militia attacks, others ambushed amid clashes between rival armed groups, and some have died from diseases such as severe malaria.

The statement also described cases in which Chinese miners were murdered in staged incidents like fake car crashes or hangings following disputes with business partners.

CAR, one of the world’s poorest countries, has been mired in conflict for more than a decade despite its abundant reserves of gold, diamonds and oil. China, which has lent more than $26 million to the country, rarely comments on other nations’ internal affairs, but has recently taken a more vocal stance on the safety of its nationals overseas.