Central African Republic: Easter holidays tarnished by the Covid-19 and the armed conflict
Audio 01:34
The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception in Bangui (Illustrative image).
© Pierre Pinto / RFI
Text by: RFI Follow
4 min
While the Central African Republic has 80% of Christians, the Easter holidays are celebrated this year in gloom with the Covid-19 pandemic and this new armed conflict launched in December 2020 by the rebels of the Coalition of Patriots for Change (CPC ).
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With our correspondent in Bangui,
F
lorence Morice
At the entrance to the cathedral, mask on his face, Éric Ngouaï is delighted to attend Easter Mass this year.
In 2020, he must have followed her on the radio.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, all services were banned in the country.
“
We made arrangements so that people could stay away with their mufflers.
We have joy because Jesus rose from the dead
”.
Between worries and hopes regarding the armed conflict
Vianney Wilebozoumna regrets that the party is a little disrupted this year by the ongoing conflict in the country.
With the crisis, it was impossible for him to be totally happy.
He sells a few t-shirts made for the Easter celebrations, but the crisis has forced him to lower his prices: “
We had to sell that at
5,000 francs, but given the crisis, we left that at
4,000, 4
500. The money does not circulate
. "
Not far from there, Francis Kouevi hurries with his four daughters to attend a mass he hopes for under the sign of the reconciliation of the Central Africans.
“
Regarding
the conflict
, I
say once again that it is the way to put all this tension that we have known here, there and through Easter into the hands of the Lord, we are going to approve this union in principle which is normally rooted in the Central African people
”.
On entering the church, he promises to pray for peace to return to his country for a long time.
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Central African Republic