A Facebook post claims that a group of young people from the 8th arrondissement of Bangui blocked MINUSCA vehicles on February 21, 2024, demanding their departure from the country. This is false, as confirmed by the United Nations mission in the Central African Republic, local authorities, and youth leaders from the area.
Since 2021, there has been an increase in protests targeting MINUSCA in the Central African Republic, intensified by the “Stop MINUSCA” campaign launched online. This February post is an example of misinformation that was not substantiated after verification by Centrafrique Check.
Published on February 22, 2024, by a Facebook news page called “Actualités en Afrique de l’Ouest,” the information went viral, garnering over 4,000 reactions. The post claims: “Strength to the people, Central Africans continue to protest against MINUSCA. On February 21, 2024, a group of people blocked MINUSCA vehicles in the 8th arrondissement of Bangui…,” but this information is false.
Why is the information incorrect?
Contacted via WhatsApp on February 26, 2024, MINUSCA spokesperson Vladimir Montéiro stated, “There was no protest. Normally, we are aware of major protests in Bangui. Our contacts with the Internal Security Forces confirmed that there was no protest in the 8th arrondissement of Bangui against MINUSCA.”
Steve Youmbi, President of the Youth of the 8th Arrondissement, told Centrafrique Check: “This is pure misinformation. Since I started my duties over a year ago, we have not recorded any protests in our arrondissement. Our youth have not protested, and even if there are grievances, they always go through the youth office, which represents them locally.”
Fulgence Yaguina, Commissioner of the 8th Arrondissement, added: “The law applies to everyone. If the youth want to make claims, they should go to the Ministry of the Interior, not engage in disorder. Yes, some groups of bandits have done such things in the past, but since we intensified our search, these practices have not resurfaced, and there have been no recent protests.”
Reno Mawena, Assistant to the Mayor of the 8th Arrondissement of Bangui, stated: “These are false reports. As the local representative of the 8th arrondissement, I have neither seen nor recorded such a protest in our locality on February 21, 2024.”
This misinformation follows a series of intermittent protests organized by some youth after the “Stop MINUSCA” online campaign began in 2021, protesting against the UN mission in the Central African Republic and demanding its departure. However, no such protest occurred in the 8th arrondissement of Bangui in February 2024.
After verification, the claim of a protest by a group of youths blocking MINUSCA vehicles demanding their departure is untrue.
This article was edited by Esdras Michael Ndamoyen.
