The Central African Republic is the democratic country and the current President Mr. Patassé was elected in a direct election in 1993. After 3 years from his election, that is, in 1996, his policy was criticized. In April, a part of the soldiers of the Army held a large-scale demonstration to protest against the delayed salaries. This is not a king of demonstrations, we Japanese, usually imagine. They are usually violent, sometimes with warning shots.
In the case of 1996, the demonstration was under control a few days later, but in May it was resumed and finally escalated to a violent attack and plunder. A lot of foreigners including some Japanese had to be evacuated.
This demonstration also seemed to be under control, but in November, some rebel soldiers occupied a part of Bangui and hold up there. The rebel soldiers and government soldiers confronted each other and no solution was founded until the New Year, 1997. On January 25th, they reached a compromise.
All the people related to KAJIMA Corporation came back to the Central African Republic between January 28th and February 4th.
Incidents in April 1996
April 18th (Thu) In Bangui some soldiers requisitioned some private vehicles running and fired warning shots, threatened the vehicles and made them run out of control. They also held a demonstration. The crewmembers of Air France were stalled, and the plane could not take off. Two people related to KAJIMA Corporation, who were going back home, were obliged to cancel the departure.
April 19th (Fri) There were demonstrations all day and we could not go out.
April 20th (Sat) The crewmembers and the passengers including the two KAJIMA related men moved to the airport under the escort of the French Army. Finally the Air France plane took off with more than 40 hours delay.
April 21st (Sun) The demonstrations were under control.
Incidents in May 1996
May 18th (Sat) New demonstrations happened in Bangui. KAJIMA people were all in Yaloké and were not directly affected by the demonstrations.
May 19th (Sun) We got a telex from Bangui. It said that the situation here became worse.
May 20th (Mon) KAJIMA suspended the work assuming that the fuel supply will be stopped. We gathered the heavy machines and vehicles in one place to facilitate their maintenance.
May 21st (Tue) Japanese residents in Bangui began to evacuate.
In Bangui, some soldiers and citizens began to intrude into and loot the evacuated houses.
May 26th (Sun) KAJIMA people in Yaloké began to evacuate. They went to Bouar by land, moved to Bangui in a transport plane of the French Army and slept in the Army base.
May 27th (Mon) They moved from Bangui to Yaounde in a transport plane of the US Marines.
May 28th (Tue) They got a passport and a visa in Yaounde.
May 29th (Wed) They moved from Yaounde to Douala by land.
May 30th (Thu) They bought an airline ticket to Tokyo.
May 31st (Fri) They went back home from Douala via Paris.
June 2nd (Sun) They arrived at Narita.
July 11th (Thu) The situation was settled, KAJIMA people returned to the Central African Republic.
Incidents in November 1996
November 16th (Sat) The soldiers who had rebelled in April and May in the suburbs of Bangui hold up and began antigovernment movements, and the Japanese residents in Bangui are refrained from going out. At that moment, there were four KAJIMA people in Bangui.
November 18th (Mon) The four KAJIMA people moved to Yaloké. Fuel was supplied and the work continued.
November 22nd (Fri) A report arrived from Bangui and it said that there was shortage of fuel in the city.
December 8th (Sun) The government and the rebel soldiers concluded a cease-fire agreement for 15 days.
December 18th(Wed) No improvement of the situations in Bangui was expected at the moment and, KAJIMA people decided to relocate temporarily their office to Cameroon.
December 22nd (Sun) The cease-fire agreement was supposed to be expired that day, and KAJIMA people left for Cameroon by land. They Camped in a border town, Garoua-Boulai.
December 23rd (Mon) They moved to Bertoua.
December 24th (Tue) They set up a temporary office in Bertoua. They assured communication lines with their work site through an SSB radio system. The work was proceeded only by native people according to the instructions from Bertoua.
December 27th (Fri) Japanese civil residents in Bangui left the city. At this moment, only the permanent residents and the Embassy people stayed there.
December 31st (Tue) The neighboring countries that worried about the situation tried to mediate, but the year ended without any progress in the matter.
January 1st (Wed) KAJIMA people greeted the New Year in Cameroon, hoping for an early settlement of the matter.
January 8th (Wed) The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued to all Japanese a recommendation to differ travel.
Travel advice and warning by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- The Central African Republic: Recommendation to differ travels -
January 8th, 1997
To those who are planning to travel to the Central African Republic
Concerning travels to the Central African Republic, after the armed protest movements started in May 1996 by a part of the National Army soldiers settled down, we issued a travel advice and warning. (Switch from "the recommendation to differ all travels" to "the Recommendation to differ non essential travels". However, around November 15th, 1996, some rebelled soldiers of the National Army asked for the resignation of President Patassé and hold up in the southern section of Bangui. Then a truce was concluded between the government and the rebel soldiers, and the situations were calmed down for some time. But the situations worsened around January 4th, 1997 when some civilians set up barricades and the things escalated involving noncombatants. After that, on January 4th of this year, the rebel forces killed two soldiers of French forces stationed in the country, and the French forces counter attacked the rebel forces. Thus, the county and around it is not safe now.
Under such circumstances, we strongly recommend you refrain from travelling to the Central African Republic, especially to the city of Bangui and around it, until things are calmed down. And for that purpose, we have issued an official "Recommendation to differ all travels.
January 25th (Sat) There was reconciliation between the government and the rebel forces in Bangui.
January 28th (Tue) Some KAJIMA people entered again the Central African Republic from Bertoua.
February 4th (Tue) All the KAJIMA people again entered the Central African Republic, and a series of incidents finally came to an end.
Incidents in May 1996