Mercenaries from Putin's 'private army' the Wagner Group are accused of raping maternity ward women in Central African Republic

• e-mail

Russian mercenaries from Vladimir Putin's private military company the Wagner Group have been accused of raping women at a maternity ward in the Central African Republic (CAR).

The soldiers allegedly attacked a hospital in the Henri Izamo military camp in Bangui, the capital of CAR, on April 10, according to the Daily Beast.

Officials at the CAR's military headquarters got a report from the infirmary saying three Russian mercenaries raped health workers on duty and several women who had just given birth.

'[The military headquarters] received a report last month from the [hospital] center detailing how three Russian instructors stormed the maternity ward and began to sexually assault women on admission,' an official told the American news website. 

They continued: 'Among the victims, the military was informed, are two mothers who had just given birth to babies and health workers on duty'. 

The official added that the military 'is convinced that the report is genuine,' while another official said it is the third occasion such a report has been received. 

The Wagner Group mercenaries pose at Popasna, the Sievierodonetsk district of the Luhansk Oblast, eastern Ukraine

According to a report by Human Rights Watch, Russian mercenaries have also killed and tortured civilians in CAR since 2019.

Russian-speaking men carrying military-grade weapons and wearing military gear with no official markings set up a road block near the town of Bossangoa in July 2021, stopped men to beat them and shot at least eight dead, according to witnesses.

Human Rights Watch interviewed at least 40 people in person or by phone over a period of more than two years to document abuses probably carried out by mercenaries with the Russian-linked Wagner group.

Another incident described by witnesses involved Russian-linked forces detaining and torturing people in Bambari in 2019.

The accusations by the international rights group come after United Nations experts in October called on CAR's government to end all relationships with 'private military and security personnel, particularly the Wagner Group'.

They said its members have violently harassed and intimidated civilians, peacekeepers, journalists, aid workers and minorities and have committed rape and sexual violence against women, men and young girls.

The Wagner Group, which portrays itself as a private military contractor, sends mercenary forces - many former Russian soldiers - to several African countries and other places including Ukraine and the Middle East

France and the United States also accused Wagner 'mercenaries' of massacres and executions of civilians in January.

The Wagner Group, which portrays itself as a private military contractor, sends mercenary forces - many former Russian soldiers - to several African countries and other places including Ukraine and the Middle East.

Although the Kremlin officially denies any connection to Wagner, the group is strategically used to further President Vladimir Putin's ambitions to increase Russia's influence and undermine democracy, analysts say.

Human Rights Watch called on the government of CAR, the country's Special Criminal Court or the International Criminal Court to investigate incidents in its report and other allegations of abuse by Russian-linked forces there.

Although the Kremlin officially denies any connection to Wagner, the group is strategically used to further President Vladimir Putin's ambitions to increase Russia's influence and undermine democracy, analysts say

'The Central African government has every right to request international security assistance, but it can't allow foreign forces to kill and otherwise abuse civilians with impunity,' said Ida Sawyer, crisis and conflict director at Human Rights Watch.

'To demonstrate its respect for the rule of law, and to put an end to these abuses, the government should immediately investigate and prosecute all forces, including Russia-linked forces, responsible for murder, unlawful detention, and torture.'

The rights group says it has requested information from the government on inquiries into violence and any agreements with Russia, but has received no reply.

The CAR government in 2021 did acknowledge the serious violation of human rights by Russians, which forced Vladimir Titorenko to leave his post as Russian ambassador to the country.

Central African president Faustin-Archange Touadera attends the inking of a peace deal between the government of the Central African Republic and 14 armed groups in Khartoum

It also said it would set up a special commission of inquiry to establish responsibility but no findings have been published.

Russian security has helped protect President Faustin-Archange Touadera for years, with Russia's former member of internal security services Valery Zakharov serving as an adviser in Bangui on military, political and economic matters.

While the government denies hiring mercenaries from Wagner, Mr Zakharov is a 'key figure' in Wagner's command structure, according to European Union documents.

Experts estimate there are between 1,000 and 2,000 personnel in the Central African Republic.