The United Nations multidimensional integrated stabilization mission in the Central African Republic has long been criticized for being expensive and inefficient, but recently popular discontent with MINUSCA has reached its peak for a number of reasons. Several demonstrations and rallies against MINUSCA have begun to take place almost daily in many cities and towns across the country.
Central Africans lost their patience when, on 10 August, Kaltouma Djouma, a girl from Bria, was killed by MINUSCA peacekeepers. The peacekeepers, who became the perpetrators of the fatal accident, began firing to disperse the gathered crowd. One of the bullets killed Kaltouma Djouma. After this incident, there was a wave of rallies against MINUSCA in cities such as Bangui, Bria, Bossangoa, where many people took to the streets with placards demanding that those responsible be brought to justice. On the signs, one could see the following inscriptions: “The death of our younger sister Kaltouma Djouma cannot go unpunished”, ” Enough is enough! We demand justice”.
Also devastated people launched a STOP MINUSCA action. This action took place in Bangui from July 2021 and then took place in several cities of the country. The meaning of the MINUSCA STOP action is that many people go out on the road, blocking the passage of MINUSCA cars. The last action took place in the town of Mbaiki on 26 August where protesters held placards with slogans “Stop Minusca” and prevented the movement of UN mission trucks. Thus, people want to show their dissatisfaction with MINUSCA, who allegedly cooperates with the rebels and kills innocent people.
Among other things, Central Africans have often gone on strike to denounce MINUSCA’s crimes and demand the immediate withdrawal of the UN mission. So, in Bria on August 30, a demonstration was held, where people called out the blue helmets of the assassins for their cooperation with the rebels of the Coalition of Patriots for Change (CPC).
On social networks, people are also actively expressing outrage at the actions of MINUSCA, denouncing aid to the rebels, the killing of civilians, indifference and inefficiency. People believe that the UN mission whose main objective is to protect people and restore peace, on the contrary, brings the Central Africans a single suffering.
The popular discontent of MINUSCA increased so much that the inhabitants of the village of Bondiba wrote a letter to the President of the Republic, Faustin Archange Touadera, asking to return the Bangladeshi contingent to Baboua and not let it into their village. In the letter, Bondiba residents also reported seeing peacekeepers hand over weapons and mines to the rebels of 3R, an armed group member of the CPC. Thus, the Bangladeshi contingent spoils the efforts of the soldiers of the Central African Armed Forces (FACA) and their Russian and Rwandan allies, who have managed to restore peace and stability on the ground.
What is surprising is that despite the deep discontent of the peacekeepers, MINUSCA officials have not yet responded.
