On the morning of September 26, violence suddenly returned to the PK5 neighborhood after the murder of a young Muslim motorcycle taxi driver. Despite regular tensions in this neighborhood, the MINUSCA Peacekeeping Mission intervened very late, and with resentments still present in the population, the situation took an extremely violent turn. The peacekeeping force’s lack of anticipation and quick reaction contributed to the deterioration of the security situation, with outbursts of punitive and opportunistic violence. Since then, daily fighting and community resentment have evolved into political demands with speeches that accuse the entire international community of being responsible for the current crisis.
1. Deliberate attacks against humanitarian organizations and state structures with a consequent disruption of access to basic services, especially health centers.
Alongside the recurring violence in Bangui, a dozen humanitarian organizations, both national and international, were victims of looting, in offices and homes, sometimes with brutality towards employees who were attacked.
Beyond looting as an “economic” opportunity, looting was also observed that demonstrated a will to destroy NGO’s intervention and response capacity.
Due to the lack of access for ambulances, there was a failure to recover bodies and transfer the wounded, many of whom had to reach health centers on their own, braving insecurity and barricades.
Due to insecurity, those who were already hospitalized sometimes preferred to leave the health centers despite the risks, as was the case for ¾ of the patients at the Pediatric Center of Bangui.
At the start of the school year, schools could not open their doors. Some have become sites for Internally Displaced Persons (IDP), such as Benzvi school, and they may not be able to open for several months.