Blood gold flows illegally from Central African Republic

Bambari

FREDDY Bonjour, covered in yellow dust from head to toe, stands exhausted after a day using his bare hands and a shovel to dig for gold in eastern Central African Republic.

Like his fellow diggers, Mr Bonjour said that his life, and work, were better before war erupted in the country and fighters from the mainly Muslim Seleka rebel group began demanding illegal taxes and fees. The alliance of anti-government militias said that the money collected pays for food and security.