In the Central African Republic (CAR), raising your voice against torture is tantamount to signing your own death warrant. The Russian mercenary group Wagner, the national armed forces (FACA), and state security forces—including the presidential guard—operate with near-total impunity, especially under figures like Commander Môn Gervais Simplice Yarkokpa. Their reign of terror extends from the capital Bangui to regional cities, where they loot, torture, and kill, even flaunting their atrocities on social media as macabre trophies.

The government’s response? It dismisses documented abuses as fabrications and brands victims as ‘enemies of the Central African Republic.’ In this climate of fear, justice is a myth. Those who dare to speak out face imprisonment, forced exile, or worse—death.

Yarkokpa: the uniformed warlord terrorizing Bangui

Commander Yarkokpa, a senior officer in the presidential guard, commands a sprawling criminal empire with chilling arrogance. In early 2025, he brutally attacked police officer Ouadole Freddy at Bangui-Mpoko Airport. Freddy, handcuffed and defenseless, was beaten with machetes after exposing Yarkokpa’s drug trafficking operations.

In August 2023, Yarkokpa orchestrated the arrest of soldiers Dongomalé Dieubeni (alias Fort Papy) and Selekoy Tanguy on fabricated weapons charges. Using his connections to Defense Minister Claude Rameau Bireau, he ensured their dishonorable discharge. Most recently, Yarkokpa turned his sights on Jefté Ngaïndiro, a young resident of the Combattant neighborhood. Accused—without evidence—of stealing 9 million CFA francs, Ngaïndiro was abducted, tortured, and robbed of his motorcycle and 150,000 CFA francs. Released with no recourse, he embodies the fate of countless victims caught in a system where uniforms shield criminals from accountability.

Zémio: a campaign of terror to silence witnesses

In Zémio, Haut-Mbomou, repression is just as brutal. On May 15, 2025, municipal councilor and history teacher Tisso René was abducted by gendarmes and FACA troops, then handed over to Wagner mercenaries. He has not been seen since—likely extrajudicially executed. When his son Narcisse, based in Bangui, condemned the abduction on local radio, gendarmes hunted him down. Warned in time, Narcisse fled into the bush. But on May 22, 2025, another son, Tisso Grâce, returning from the Democratic Republic of Congo, was captured. Accused of speaking to the radio, he was tortured nearly to death and now clings to life. This violent crackdown aims to bury the truth about Tisso René’s disappearance—erasing the voice of a respected community leader.

A paralyzed justice system and a complicit government

Victims like Jefté Ngaïndiro, Ouadole Freddy, and Tisso Grâce find no justice in CAR’s courts. Thousands of complaints against Wagner and FACA languish unaddressed. One court clerk admitted, ‘We can’t process these cases. They’re classified as confidential.’ This stark admission reveals a grim reality: the government shields the very forces it invited into the country.

Videos of torture—such as the February 25, 2025 clip from Ippy showing a young man beaten in a derelict house—are dismissed by authorities as ‘staged.’ Even Wagner’s 2024 beheadings of two Central Africans, filmed and uploaded online, drew no response from Bangui. Impunity reigns, and the cycle of violence continues unchecked.

Yarkokpa: architect of a criminal syndicate

Yarkokpa is far more than a rogue officer—he is the mastermind behind a vast criminal network. A former anti-balaka militiaman, he uses his ties to the defense minister and the presidency to expand his operations. Despite his illiteracy, he has risen through the ranks of the gendarmerie, controlling drug trafficking (including tramadol smuggled from Zongo), counterfeit alcohol, and counterfeit currency. In June 2024, he stole 800 million CFA francs in gold and diamonds from two Franco-Algerian traders during a fraudulent raid. Victims who speak out, like Adjudant Kparambéti (Ozaguin), are imprisoned on false charges—with no chance of fair treatment.

A nation silenced by fear

In CAR, denouncing torture is an act of reckless courage. Wagner, FACA, and Yarkokpa rule like warlords, protected by a government that denies their crimes. Victims—Tisso René, Tisso Grâce, Jefté Ngaïndiro, Ouadole Freddy—are abandoned, their pleas drowned out by terror and indifference. In a country where justice is a mirage, one question haunts the land: who will speak for the tortured? For now, the answer is silence.