On January 16, 2023, an article published by a journalist named Ndingkpi in the newspaper Adrénaline claimed that a results-oriented meeting at the residence of the French ambassador in the Central African Republic had turned into a session of insults and humiliation directed at opposition political figures and the Civil Society Task Force (GTSC). This information is unfounded and lacks any evidence.
The article asserts that “some opposition political figures allegedly received 150,000,000 CFA francs from the French ambassador to organize a city-wide protest due to the rise in fuel prices, which did not take place. On Friday, January 13, 2023, at 7 p.m., a results-oriented meeting at the ambassador’s residence supposedly turned into a meeting of insults and humiliation towards opposition political figures,” as stated in the article.
After checking with reliable sources including the press officer at the French Embassy in Bangui, the president of the political party Mouvement de Libération du Peuple Centrafricain (MLPC), and the spokesperson for the Civil Society Task Force, this information circulated in several WhatsApp groups is false.
Verification:
On January 16, AFC contacted Maxime Mbétibanga Bidjima, the press and communications officer at the French Embassy in Bangui. He rejected the information, stating, “This is false information. No such meeting ever took place between the ambassador, Central African opposition political figures, and the Civil Society Task Force.”
Martin Ziguélé, president of the MLPC, refuted the information, saying, “I read the article, and it is completely false. They claimed Mahamat Kamoun was present at the meeting, but he has been in Yaoundé since December 15, 2022, visiting his family. Crépin Mbolingoumba has been in Abidjan since January 9. How could they participate in this meeting if they are not in Bangui? As for me (Martin Ziguélé), on Friday, January 13 at 7 p.m., I was in my field in Kalangouè near the village of Kapou.”
The spokesperson for the Civil Society Task Force, Crescent Beninga, told AFC, “This is a fabricated story. Since the increase in fuel prices, civil society has not engaged in any political activity, but we recently made a statement asking the government to reduce prices.”
This information emerged following the publication of a ministerial decree on January 3, 2023, setting new fuel prices at the pump in the Central African Republic.
In conclusion, the information published by Adrénaline has been proven false after verification with several sources.
Britney Ngalingbo/AFC
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