2013, May

 

Here we are in May, the best month (it’s when I was born..!)

We’re almost reaching the end of schooling month, only here though, in the rest of the village and in the country everything remained shut down due to unsafety and shooting….

They keep happening here too…On Friday “commissioned”rebels arrived from Bangui to disarm the local rebels…but they went on hiding. On Saturday once the senior rebels left, they kept on shooting all day to celebrate a wedding….it would have been better to use rice instead, tomorrow I’ll go there and suggest that!

On Sunday evening the abbè Mirek called from Bouar. There’s a young guy who was kidnapped from rebels in Bocaranga, asking for a ransom of 250.000 F CFA (375 €)  it was paid but they didn’t release the young guy. So on Monday afternoon I went to visit the chief. He’s a colonel (all rebels are colonels or generals here….)They’re having lunch, there’s about 12 of them. I present them with the situation. One of them sais the young guy is kept prisoner at his dad’s place, whom is the mayor of a village. The chief said they let him go this morning…but I’m not convinced. (afterwards they confirmed he was set free)

Anyways I bring to their attention the second issue….they placed a check bar in front of the secondary school. This barrier has been designed as toll bar to stop cars and motorbikes…and I explain that until the barrier is there the school cannot be reopened. They discuss amongst themselves.  “Why do you need a barrier?”  – I ask.  “Because we must check all vehicles are in line with traffic laws!”  I replied “but all your cars don’t even have a plate!”  they answered “well, but WE are rebels!” I said “As a matter of fact now there’s a government, there is no more rebellion”  reply “no, we are still at war and this is a province of….Chad” I said “so are you here to ensure safety or to cause more troubles?” I also noticed that there was a prisoner in the other room: “Is he the young guy you are to set free?”  “no” they replied, “this is a thug” “as yourselves?” I asked. They laughed.

We’ll see.

More news : Father Nicola left us. He was a missionnaire in CAR since 1971, a great person, missionnaire and from Piemonte ! he’s 90 and now it’s time to move towards safest places….