It is a daily struggle for hundreds of these fishermen who have settled around the Oubangui river ,fleeing the anti-balaka militias in the Central African Republic.
The struggles of displaced persons in Central African Republic
The Oubangui river, borders the south of the Central African Republic and is drying up, thereby denying these fishermen their livelihoods.
“What angered me was that this man, Korogo, destroyed the school and the hospital, if he sees a canoe passing by, he sends his men to pick up everything that’s in the canoe.When you come into the village, he takes you by force to vaccinate you, with razor blades, and if you refuse, he tortures you”, said Matthias, delegate of displaced fishermen.
Matthias, said he left his wife and nine children in the Democratic Republic of Congo, returned to the Oubangui river level before settling downstream.
Fisherfolks say the anti-balaka rob and torture them forcing them to flee to DR Congo.
Like him, about 500 others have settled on this same island facing the village of Bagobolong 2 .
They say they had to flee anti-balaka led by their leader Joseph Korogo.
Others like this man have marks of razor incisions on their body after attempts to recruit him into the militia failed.
He was lucky he fled.
These fishermen add up to some 694,000 displaced persons in the Central African Republic.
AFP