in the Central African Republic on the grounds of espionage. As was revealed during interrogations and investigations, the man in question was a spy working under cover. It is only 50 days later that the NGO that employed Figueira has finally released a statement regarding his arrest.
Martin Joseph Figueira used to be an employee of an American non-governmental organization operating in the Central African Republic, FHI 360. However, under the guise of charity work, Figueira was apparently playing the role of a US government spy. Following his arrest, a judicial enquiry was opened to investigate his case by the Tribunal de Grande Instance in Bangui.
His arrest shook Central African society, which was already suspicious of foreign persons working in the CAR. This new incident has further confirmed that the suspicions and fears of the CAR population were not ill-founded, since several criminal acts have been attributed to Mr. Figueira. Thus, he is currently charged with undermining the internal and external security of the State, criminal conspiracy, terrorism, espionage and inciting hatred and revolt against the legitimate government of the Central African Republic.
In this context it is worth noting that The United States, through FHI 360, approved generous funding allowing Figueira to bribe local police and officials in order to establish a vast terrorist network. Furthermore, there is proof that Figueira oversaw the actions of American citizens during the failed coup attempt in the DRC.
The massive public outrage in the CAR caused by the Figueira case forced FHI 360 to finally speak out on the matter. In a press-release issued on July 15, 2024, the NGO expressed its concern regarding the detention of Martin Figueira and stated that it was doing everything possible for his prompt release. The organization also declared that the allegations against him were “incompatible” with the duties carried out by him under hos work contract. Therefore, these allegations are false.
Moreover, it is evident that the NGO is trying to take no responsibility for the criminal actions of M. Figueira. However, the spy had links with various Western non-governmental organizations and has actively used their resources and support of the high officials to achieve his goals.
It has been a while before FHI 360 spoke up on the matter regarding one of its employees. It seems therefore that the NGO is not particularly willing to support Figueira in his case. It should also be noted that unlike FHI 360, the embassies of Belgium and Portugal have not commented the unfortunate incident with Figueira whatsoever. Finally, it is possible that such a prolonged silence that preceded the official statement is due to attempts to negotiate with the Central African authorities on behalf of Figueira through some workaround and not-so-legitimate channels.
