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Authorities in the Central African Republic have detained five civil society leaders who organised a protest against rising fuel prices, accusing them of having links to opposition parties.
The five officials were arrested on Thursday after calling for a shutdown of the capital, Bangui, on October 12. They have remained in custody since their arrest.
The landlocked Central African Republic is one of the world’s poorest countries and has faced higher fuel prices since the beginning of October.
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The government introduced the price increase as global oil prices rose, leading to higher transport and food costs in a country already grappling with shortages linked to security and logistical challenges.
The October 12 protest resulted in reduced traffic across Bangui, while some schools and businesses also closed.
Interior Minister Bienvenu Zokoue accused the organisers of using the shutdown as a cover for an attempt to destabilise state institutions. He also alleged that the detained activists had close ties to two opposition parties.
Zokoue said the arrests were intended to prevent further actions that could disrupt government institutions.
Families of the detainees and other civil society organisations have called for their immediate release and threatened to resume protests.
The wife of Quentin Ngouando, one of the detained organisers, urged authorities to respect the detainees’ rights, arguing that voicing public grievances should not be treated as a crime.
“I demand that their fundamental rights be respected and that they be released immediately,” she said.Â
“Expressing the suffering of the people is not a crime,” she added.
President Faustin-Archange Touadera has defended the fuel price increase, saying high international oil prices have made it increasingly difficult for the government to maintain fuel subsidies.
He said the government needed to adopt a pricing system that would allow it to meet its obligations, including paying public sector salaries, while managing the impact of higher oil costs.
