BANGUI – French and United Nation armoured vehicles and tanks jostled with ramshackle yellow taxis on the congested streets of Central African Republic’s capital on Saturday as security was beefed up a day before the arrival of Pope Francis.
The pope’s visit to the former French colony, racked since 2013 by a conflict that has descended into inter-religious bloodshed, has been welcomed by both the majority Christian community and the Muslim minority.
Interim President Catherine Samba-Panza said on Saturday that the event could mark a turning point in the fighting, which has pitted neighbours against each other.
“Central Africans know that the pope is a messenger of peace, and they hope that the message he is going to deliver to them will trigger a national awakening and awareness so that Central Africans learn to live together once again,” she said.
However, in the days before his scheduled arrival his exact itinerary has been in doubt and there has been speculation that security concerns might force the final leg of the pope’s first African tour to be called off altogether.
Following months of relative calm, clashes have again flared around Bangui’s PK5, an enclave of Muslims, leaving at least 100 people dead since late September, according to Human Rights Watch.
Pope Francis, who arrives in Bangui on Sunday from Uganda, is scheduled to visit a mosque the following day in PK5, which has been under a blockade by Christian militias for the last two months.
French officials warned the Vatican earlier this month that the trip to Central African Republic could put the pope as well as hundreds of thousands of believers at risk.
Church officials, however, have given assurances that the visit will go ahead. (Reuters)
