Central African Republic accuses a European NGO worker arrested last week of spying

By JEAN FERNAND KOENA and MARK BANCHEREAU
Associated Press

BANGUI, Central African Republic (AP) — Authorities in the Central African Republic are investigating a European aid worker who was arrested last week in a restive area of the country on spying charges. The public prosecutor’s office said on Thursday that Martin Joseph Figueira, a consultant for the American nongovernmental organization FHI360, is being accused of communicating with armed groups to plot a coup, thereby jeopardizing national security. Figueira holds a Belgian and a Portuguese passport. In his Belgian passport he goes under the name of Martin Joseph Edouard. FHI360 is a public health NGO that manages projects related to family planning and reproductive health. It confirmed that one of their workers is in the custody in Central African Republic.