It’s been a while, but I am now back to my desk, and my blog. I’ve missed you, and couldn’t stay away any longer. I was going to call this post ‘Bienvenue Madam le President,’ in recognition of Mme. Catherine Samba-Panza’s recent inauguration as the first female President of the Central African Republic (CAR). Having […]
Bangui has become different cities
This morning my corner of Bangui was quiet. I live on the riverfront, and drink early morning coffee as I watch people walking towards the city centre market. Since Saturday, there have been more people walking each morning, including young men wheeling coffins into town. each increment seems like a small positive sign. I live […]
Bangui: death, devastation, glints of hope
There are few ‘facts on the ground’ to go by, as this bloody and grim Central African situation is still evolving. But having been out on the streets of Bangui for the last couple of days, I can offer these glimpses of what life is like here at the moment, and what the people of […]
This Evening in Bangui
At least a hundred people have been killed here in Bangui today, in horrific fighting between Seleka and the so-called ‘anti-Balaka.’ The violence is increasingly sectarian, sharpening people’s fears that this beautiful fragile country could be on the brink of an abyss. I’ve spent most of the day trapped in my flat in Bangui, because […]