FACA soldiers extort drivers at Mouka barrier
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Corbeaunews Centrafrique
At the Mouka road barrier, Central African Armed Forces soldiers demand 2,000 CFA francs per crossing from drivers and take half a litre of petrol. The extortion continues despite a 2023 decree banning illegal checkpoints, reports Corbeau News Centrafrique.
At the Mouka road barrier, on the route linking Bria to Ouadda-Maïkaga in Haute-Kotto prefecture, soldiers from the Central African Armed Forces (FACA) demand 2,000 CFA francs per crossing and take half a litre of fuel from vehicles. These practices notably affect motorbike-taxi and vehicle drivers, according to Corbeaunews Centrafrique.
These levies continue despite a 2023 presidential decree ordering the dismantling of illegal checkpoints and reserving authorised checkpoints for the gendarmerie and national police. Inspections conducted on the Bangui-Beloko route by the prime minister and the transport minister have not prevented these barriers from remaining in the interior of the country, reports Corbeaunews Centrafrique.
Last week, a motorbike-taxi driver challenged the fuel levy after paying the 2,000 CFA francs demanded. The soldiers refused to waive the requirement, according to Corbeaunews Centrafrique.
The levy comes as fuel prices have risen following the removal of a subsidy of 350 CFA francs per litre, announced by President Faustin-Archange Touadéra on 4 October. The increase was reported in Touadéra justifies fuel price rise by end of 350 CFA franc subsidy.
