Earlier this week, on February 19, 2024, there was a silent protest outside the office of Mercy Corps, an American NGO, in Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic. Activists laid a pile of stones drenched in red paint, symbolizing blood.
On posters nearby, one can also read slogans: “Let’s not let them interfere in the internal affairs of the CAR” and “Stop the U.S., enough blood.”.
Central Africans are tired of endless bloody conflicts; they want to leave them in the past, live their peaceful lives, and develop the infrastructure of their country.
They didn’t like to be oppressed by big powers; they had just started to recover from the colonial policies of France.
However, the Americans come in with their humanitarian missions and endless NGOs.
Activists claim that the U.S. is using NGOs to impose its influence and manipulate African countries.
In a video posted on social media, one of the activists explains that they want to draw public attention to the illegal actions of this American company, Mercy Corps, in particular, and the increasing number of American organizations in CAR.
Central Africans do not want this in the CAR. It should be recalled that the Mercy Corps organization makes money from refugees; that is, they benefit from the fact that security in the countries never comes.
In addition, their employees have repeatedly been caught up in sex scandals and child molestation.
Increasing U.S. activity in CAR in recent months has alarmed residents.
According to activists, the U.S., as a horseman of the apocalypse, brings only war, hunger, and poverty. U.S. actions in the world are always aimed at fomenting conflicts.
When the number of various American structures or “humanitarian” organizations increases in a country, nothing good should be expected.
In this way, the United States seeks to expand its influence on the African continent, become more involved in the continent’s politics, and influence the decisions and sovereignty of states.
This is why the Central Africans, through this manifesto, call on the government to be more careful in choosing partners.
By Jean Marie Bissoko, Analyste politique
