Russian official in Central African Republic wounded by package bomb

The head of a Russian cultural center in the Central African Republic was wounded on Friday by a package containing explosives detonated.

A terrorist attack was perpetrated against the Russian House in Bangui, the capital of the country, said Yevgeny Primakov on social media. Primakov is the head of Russia's Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States, Compatriots Living Abroad and International Humanitarian Cooperation.

The package received by the head of Russian House, Dmitry Syty, detonated in his hands as he was opening it. He has since been hospitalized.

In a statement, the Russian Embassy in Bangui said the sender address of the package was unknown and that security measures have been stepped up.

The Russian Foreign Ministry also issued a statement condemning the attack.

It urged Central African Republic authorities to identify and punish the perpetrators of the attack.

"We strongly condemn this criminal act, which clearly aims at hindering the activities of the Russian House in Bangui and, more broadly, harming the successful development of friendly relations between the two countries," it said.