CAR: Opposition marches in Bangui against rising cost of living

November 13, 2026 Village Reporter

Hundreds of people took to the streets of Bangui on Friday to protest the rising cost of living in Central African Republic.

“People in the Central African Republic can no longer afford to live,” Samson Ngaïbino, a member of the opposition BRDC told Africanews.

“That is why the population has decided to march and call on President Touadéra, saying enough is enough. He is living comfortably while the people are suffering. This is unacceptable. We say no to this situation. We demand that fuel prices be lowered so that Central Africans can afford a decent life.”

Despite the rain, demonstrators answered the call from the Republican Bloc for the Defence of the Constitution (BRDC). They wanted to make their voices heard. This was the opposition coalition’s first major public demonstration since a citywide shutdown last month.

The authorised march was closely monitored by security forces and UN peacekeepers.

“There is no money. Money is not circulating, businesses are struggling, young people cannot find jobs,” said BRDC spokesperson Martin Ziguélé. “And on top of that, every six or seven months or so, we are faced with another increase in fuel prices.”

Repression

At the heart of the protesters’ demands are two key figures: 850 CFA francs, the price per litre of petrol that the BRDC is demanding, and five, referring to the five civil society leaders arrested on October 15.

“All young people, all Central Africans are afraid,” Ziguélé said. “They cannot speak out, they cannot protest, they cannot march because as soon as someone dares to show their face, they are thrown in prison, threatened or hunted down. We have become slaves in our own country. That is why we presented these demands as justification for this march. We are giving the government two or three weeks to act. If the government does nothing to address these demands, we are following what is being said on social media. We read what young people are saying, we listen to them, and we know what is being discussed among them. Whatever they decide to do, we will do it together.”

With the price of a liter of petrol at more than 1,100 CFA francs, the anger among demonstrators is not directed at the rain, but at the cost of living.

For the BRDC, the demonstration has already been a success, as the opposition coalition awaits its next test.