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Transporters protest police extortion

    BANGUI

    Transporters in southeastern Central African Republic (CAR) have decided to stop supplying the town of Obo, 1,231 km east of the capital, Bangui, in protest against extortion by security forces in the region, state-owned Radio Centrafrique reported on Thursday.

    "All transporters have decided to no longer travel to Obo," Firmin Mbifoyo, deputy governor of Haut Mbomou Province, said.

    Speaking from Obo, he said that police and gendarmes had been extorting money from transporters and passengers aboard vehicles passing through the town. Therefore, he said, he had summoned these security forces, local administrative officials, and traditional leaders in an effort to end the situation.

    Like other eastern towns, Obo was isolated from Bangui during the October 2002-March 2003 fighting between rebels and government troops. The war ended on 15 March when Francois Bozize ousted Ange-Felix Patasse in a coup.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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