Central Africa - so what happened next?

If you read the last blog, you will know we returned from Bangassou in a bit of a rush, but got back safely.We refugees and the guys from the Bangui office went out for a slap up meal including for some, antelope and snails. 

Safe back in Bangui with the rest of the team

We settled back into work at the head office writing reports and making inventories of Mercy Corps bikes, cars and equipment which we had to leave behind in various parts of Central Africa when we flew back to Bangui. However, life was not just as normal as expected with increased speculation of the Seleka (rebels) threatening to take over the capital. Friday 22nd March, I was shopping at lunchtime for essential items for our food security stock. Laden down with goodies such as potatoes eggs, loo roll and mayonnaise, I returned to the office to find our motor bikes, computers and other assets being loaded into the pickups to be taken to a secure location. We left the office quickly and went into hibernation at the bosses house amidst more speculation and news of the Seleka's progress towards Bangui. Saturday morning, half our team left for immediate evacuation to the airport. JP, Owen and I had a slap up lunch of chips, omelette and pasta salad. Little did we know it would be our last meal for ..........

Then it was our turn. JP got the call to evacuate and we went straight to Binuca - UN,where we stayed for 3 days. The compound is full of portacabin offices and surrounded by 3 metre walls. We arrived fairly early on and the place started to fill up with other NGO staff and their families. We slept on the floor Saturday night and ate canned sardines and biscuits.Jose, bottom left, found a bottle of wine which was appreciated by all! The first Mercy Corps team to be evacuated never made their flight so they were stranded at the military barracks with food, water, beds and eye witness accounts of shoot outs at the entrance to the airport. The old President left and the new President arrived.

From bottom left, Jose, JP, Bernadette, Juan, Carmen and me

Sunday morning we were woken early and had to move from our cosy corner of the compound due to the close proximity of overhead gunshots. The UN was surrounded on all sides by roads and the Seleka in order to discourage looting, were firing into the air. 3 people in our compound alone were hit by stray bullets. At least 70 locals were wounded in the same way. Ex pats stranded in town were firstly visited by the armed Seleka who relieved them of their vehicles and secondly by the local community  who relieved them of their worldly goods. Anything they couldn't carry first time, they popped back for again and again. Gradually the compound filled up as UN vehicles went out to collect these people.

UN Compound filling up - 300 people

Organisation within the compound started to take place and some folk were given the job of distributing water. Given the possibility of stray bullets, protective clothing was issued.

Recognise her?

We were hoping for French soldiers to come and escort us to the airport but due to the number of French citizens still stranded in town, the soldiers priority was to rescue them first. So it was another night on the floor. The water was off, the toilets were full and food and water was running out.

There are stories of heroism and gruesome acts carried out by the Seleka, but until we return and see for real who knows what has happened. One description of the ransacked town compares it to Mogadishu with people carrying tvs fridges and bags of other peoples gear. How many of these people had electricity at home to watch the TV? In general most NGO offices and homes have been looted but there are a few who have escaped so far

Long story short. The french came for us on Monday evening and we were escorted to the airport. Past the Seleka, past stolen NGO vehicles painted in Seleka colours and past a body at the entrance to the airport. 

Two of our escorts at the airport

I was lucky enough to be in the first convoy leaving the UN and it was good to meet the other Mercy Corps staff at the airport who had stayed in the barracks. We were on the first plane to leave Bangui and arrived in Cameroon just in time to eat at the hotel. Yes, very very hungry. it didn't touch the sides. There were three more flights out of Bangui during the night and in the morning we found the rest of the team. 

There are some people still at the UN in Bangui giving security updates and assessing the situation but most people have left Cameroon and gone home.

We will wait a few days here until we know it is safe to return and how easy it will be to resume our activities or in some cases suspend projects and switch to emergency activities instead. The key is whether or not the new Government can hold together the different factions of the Seleka, can maintain law and order and generally support the economy.

Who knows? 

Anyway, so long for now. Here's to hoping there will be little to write home about for a while!