Bangui, Central African Republic

Bangui is the largest city and capital of the Central African Republic (CAR), a landlocked nation located in the geographic center of Africa, and that country’s administrative, economic and cultural center. Established as a fishing and shipping post because of its proximity to the Oubangui (Ubangi) River, Bangui was urbanized during the nation’s French colonial period, which began in the late nineteenth century and lasted until the country’s independence in 1960. Located in one of the poorest countries in the world, Bangui suffers from an unstable political environment, high crime rates, rampant poverty and a poorly developed economy.

Landscape

Bangui is located in the western part of the Central African Republic, which is bordered by the Democratic Republic of Congo , Sudan , South Sudan, Chad, Cameroon, and the Republic of Congo. Strategically located on the northern bank of the Oubangui River—which divides the Central African Republic from the Democratic Republic of Congo to the south—Bangui’s economy centers on its status as a river port. Most of the city lies in a floodplain created by the river and is surrounded by tropical grasslands and low hills that gradually blend into forest. The city is 396 meters (1,300 feet) above sea level.

The center of the downtown area is located just east of the geographical center of the city, as development has pushed the city limits west. The central area is divided into an irregular grid, with many of the downtown streets and buildings of European design, most notably French architecture, a remnant of the city’s French colonial period. Most of the downtown streets are organized according to the French model, with tree-lined avenues punctuated by green spaces.

Most Bangui residents live in low-income housing at the periphery of the city. Shantytowns, or makeshift villages composed of transient huts, are concentrated just outside the urban area. The city’s principal entertainment district, known as Km5, lies five kilometers (3.1 miles) from the center of the city. This district offers a variety of clubs, restaurants and other social venues. The downtown area is comprised of the commercial, shipping and government districts.

The Central African Republic has a tropical, equatorial climate with frequent rainfall and high year-round humidity. High temperatures in February, the city's hottest month, average more than 35.1 degrees Celsius (95.2 degrees Fahrenheit). The city receives an average of 1,458 millimeters (7.4 inches) of rain per year, with a rainy season extending from May through October. During this time, tropical storms and flooding are common.

People

The population of Bangui was 958,000 in 2023. Most inhabitants of Bangui are descended from one of several native ethnic groups, including the Baya and Banda, which together account for more than 50 percent of the population of the CAR. Other prominent ethnic groups include the Mandjia and Sara. Bangui has a more diverse population than the nation as a whole, and supports a small population of foreign nationals and expatriates, most of whom are French or Congolese.

French is the official language of the CAR and is used in all educational and administrative settings. The most common language, is Sangho (Sango), which derives from the native Northern Ngbandi dialect mixed with elements of French. More than 90 percent of the Bangui population uses Sangho as a primary language. Populations along other parts of the Ubangui River have adopted the Sangho language as it spread along the river.

A majority of the population follows indigenous, tribal or animist religious beliefs. In Bangui and other cities, Catholicism and Christianity play a larger role and account for as many as 89 percent of the CAR’s religious adherents, according to 2020 statistics. There are also significant numbers of Muslims in CAR, estimated at approximately 9 percent of the population.

Bangui’s culture is a blend of European and African, with daily markets and outdoor cafés drawing residents and visitors to the city’s commercial districts, though political violence and rampant crime have deterred an already underdeveloped tourism industry. Fishing in the Oubangui River still plays a role in the city’s culture. Bangui contains the nation’s only university, and therefore has a student population that is nonexistent in other CAR cities.

Economy

Bangui is the economic center of the country because of its location along the Oubangui and near the Bangui M’Poko International Airport. Important exports include timber, cotton, sisal (a stiff fiber used in making rope) and coffee, as well as other plantation crops. Agriculture is the largest industry in the CAR and generates more than half of the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP). In Bangui, service and light manufacturing industries are large employers. Soap, processed food products, and textiles are the primary manufactured exports, and are often produced in factories in and around Bangui.

The CAR is a poor country, and a majority of the nation’s residents live below the international poverty line. Unemployment remains high in Bangui, largely because political instability has prevented the economy from keeping pace with the growth of the city’s population.

Diamond mining is a major industry in parts of the CAR, with shipments of gems frequently traveling through Bangui. In 2012 the nation officially exported 371,917 carats of diamonds, worth more than $62 million. The Kimberley Process, a multinational trade program to end the flow of conflict diamonds, suspended CAR’s diamond exports between 2013 and 2015 after it was discovered that the diamonds were being sold to fund armed groups engaged in inter-religious conflict. The nation’s diamond industry has struggled to rebound since the embargo was partially lifted in July 2015. By 2018, legal exports of diamonds from the nation had fallen to 11,526 carats. Since that time, diamond smuggling has been an ongoing problem.

The CAR is dependent on both foreign aid and foreign imports, including food, petroleum and pharmaceuticals. The nation’s chief import partner is France, followed by the United States and India. The nation’s exports are primarily shipped to France, Burundi, China, Cameroon, and Austria.

Landmarks

The Museé de Barthélemy Boganda (Boganda National Museum), established in 1964, is the national museum of the CAR and was named after the nation’s first prime minister. The ethnographic museum houses various collections of art and artifacts from the regions original tribal inhabitants, while also featuring a natural history collection with specimens of preserved local fauna.

The Bokassa Palace, which is located outside the city limits, was once the home of the nation’s most infamous former leader, Jean Bedel-Bokassa, who controlled the nation under a military dictatorship. Bokassa’s palace is in a state of disrepair, but was once the most impressive building in the nation and is still of interest to students of political and military history.

The University of Bangui, established in 1969, is the only public university in the nation and attracts students from across the CAR and other parts of Africa. Bangui also has the National School of Arts, established in 1966, and a number of other French and African scientific and research institutions. Typically, these educational and research institutions attract commercial business, such as cafés, bars and other nightspots, adding to the city’s recreational options.

History

A variety of tribes lived in the area that is now the Central African Republic before the arrival of the nation’s two largest tribal groups, the Baya and Banta, in the nineteenth century. These tribes fled to present-day CAR to avoid the slave trade in their native regions. Before long, Arab and European slave traders visited the CAR, including the area that is now Bangui, to remove natural resources and capture members of native tribes to be sold as slaves.

The Sudanese warlord and slave trader Rabih (also known as Rabih bin Fadlallah and Rabih al Zubayr) was active in the CAR when European profiteers first arrived in the region. Rabih fought the British and French for control over the CAR, Chad and other nearby territories in the late nineteenth century, and posed one of the most significant obstacles to European domination in West Africa.

Rabih was forced to flee the CAR by 1887, at which time the French claimed ownership over the nation. A military post was constructed in 1889, officially establishing Bangui as a city, but opposition to Rabih continued until he was killed in 1903. Following his death, the French and British divided the region into colonial territories.

After taking control of the CAR, then known as Oubangui-Chari, and settling border disputes with Britain, the French explored the territory in an effort to connect it to the Atlantic Ocean along the Oubangui River. The downtown area was constructed and developed during this period with administrative centers and roads paved through the center of the city.

An independence movement gradually developed during the 1940s and 1950s, led largely by Barthélémy Boganda, who became the nation’s first prime minister and president after the French granted full autonomy to the CAR in 1958. Boganda died in a plane crash in 1959, and two years later the constitution was amended to make the CAR a single party system. In 1966, the government was overthrown in a military coup that left Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa in control. Bokassa’s rule, largely considered violent and politically oppressive, lasted from 1966 until 1979, during which time Bokassa abolished elections, dissolved the legislature and declared himself president for life, ruling through a military organization.

In 1979, David Dacko, with assistance from the French, staged a coup to capture the government while Bokassa was absent from the country. The coup succeeded, but Dacko was unpopular and many viewed the coup as an attempt at French control. In 1981, rioting and violent anti-government protests occurred across Bangui, causing hundreds to flee the city.

Following the coup that removed Dacko from power, André Kolingba became president and established a military-led government without popular vote or elections. Kolingba’s close ties to French political and business groups also led to widespread allegations of corruption. Under popular pressure, Kolingba allowed popular elections in 1993 and was defeated by Ange-Félix Patassé.

Though the democratic government has remained in place from 1993 to 2008, periods of violence and political turmoil have hindered development in Bangui and the CAR as a whole. In 1993 and 1996, members of the military rebelled against the government in response to unpaid military salaries. This fighting damaged portions of Bangui and stalled industrial production. In 2001, former President Kolingba attempted a military takeover of the Patassé-led government, resulting in several weeks of conflict in and around Bangui. Thousands of Bangui residents were once again forced to flee the city, with many remaining displaced after the fighting finally ceased.

In 2003, Patassé’s administration was overthrown in a coup by François Bozizé, a former army chief of staff, after more than a week of violence that damaged much of Bangui and caused hundreds more to leave the city. Bozizé won the popular election in 2005.

In 2012, a predominantly Muslim rebel group known as Séléka took over parts of the country. After a failed attempt to broker a peace deal with the rebels in March 2013, Bozizé fled the country and rebel leader Michel Djotodia took power. During Djotodia’s tenure as president, violence between Christians and Muslims increased, and Djotodia was pressured to resign. In January 2014 he did so, and was replaced by former Bangui mayor Catherine Samba-Panza, who served as interim president. President Faustin-Archange Touadera was elected president in March 2016. He won re-election in 2020. In 2023, the nation extended the presidential term to seven years and removed any term limits, opening the possibility Touadera could remain president for life.

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