CAR: Opposition marches in Bangui against rising cost of living

Hundreds of people took to the streets of Bangui on Friday to protest the rising cost of living in Central African Republic. People can no longer afford to live. That's why the population has decided to march and call on President Touadéra, saying enough is enough. We demand that fuel prices be lowered so that Central Africans can afford a decent life. Despite the rain, protesters answered the call from the Republican bloc for the defense of the Constitution, the BRDC. They wanted to make their voices heard. The authorized march was closely monitored by security forces and UN peacekeepers. Money isn't circulating. Businesses are struggling. Young people can't find jobs. On top of that, every six or seven months, we're faced with another increase in fuel prices. It's because of the hydrocarbons. At the heart of the protesters' demands are two key figures. 850 CFA francs, the price per litre of petrol that the BRDC is demanding. And five. Referring to the five civil society leaders arrested last month. All the young people, all Central Africans are afraid. They can't speak out, they can't protest, they can't march, because as soon as someone dares show their face, they're thrown in prison, threatened or hunted down. We've become slaves in our own country. Thank you. That's why we presented these demands as justification for this march. We're giving the government two or three weeks to act. If it does nothing to address these demands, we read what young people are saying, we listen to them, and we know what's being discussed among them. Whatever they decide to do, we'll do it together. We're going to do it together. For the BRDC, the demonstration has already been a success. Now the opposition coalition is awaiting its next test.