...the sun rose, and MINUSCA failed on their promises. No patrol at all went to the CAM to extract Philippe and the nuns. yet another disappointment from the UN.
The hotel by mid morning was full. The lobby was filled up with evacuees newly arrived and lining up to try and book rooms at the front desk. Cash in advance is still the only way to go. Ridiculously abusive!
Our intel confirms that many more NGOs got pillaged during the night. MINUSCA and Sangaris where were you all night???
Late morning, a window of opportunity opened up, the conflict cleared the access to the hotel. CRS staff teamed up with Philippe, and they made a 5 car convoy, no escort whatsoever, yet made it safe to the hotel. Yay! I was actually really happy to see him, and also see the CRS team arrive. Well, I was super proud and impressed that they took such risk. Goes to show Philippe's and Leann's experience with such situations.
Rumors say that the rebels are taking teh day off to rest from all the pillages and refill ammunition. Thus, an intense night to come.More action to come. More adrenaline for me!
The difefrent NGOs present in the hotel decide to put together periodical Chief of Mission's meetings. Since I am the only one from SCCF, I get to attend. What an interesting process. Yet at the same time, very surprisingly disorganised. As if it were the very first time for everyone, when most people around the table had already gone through at least 2 similar yet much worse situations in the past, and in Bangui. Oh well...
Our task is to put together a list ranking each NGO staff by order of evacuation priority. I was under CRS responsibility, so up to them. Personally, the longer I stay, the more action I get to see, the more adrenaline, and the more exciting an experience. So I let Leann do whatever she wants. Might as well put me at the bottom of the list.
First batch of evacuations planned for tomorrow morning.
The rest of the day goes as usual...intel hunt, speculation, a bit of socializing and networking, and a lot of laughing thanks to our dear Arnold.
Up until last night, dinner options were many. Just like in any restaurant, there was a menu with different prices and options, based on clients appetite and budget. So why would anything change, right?!
Well...now that the hotel is full or evacuees with no other option that to stay here, the hotel management, all of a sudden has decided to remove the entire menu, and impose the most expensive option: the 30 euros buffet. 30 euros for a meal when the minimum monthly salary is around 40 euros. And the manager is a foreigner! When the waiter brought the bill to us, even though we assumed it was all like last night and we had all taken just a simple salad from the salad bar, I lost my equanimity, or at least had some trouble maintaining it. Scandalous! And so we told the waiter we would simply not pay, and if the management had a problem with it, to come and confront us. Our loud scandal made a few other people complain as well. Good!
After dinner, some of us, not me, wanted to get a drink, and so we hung out on the terrace overlooking the pool, and facing far away, the main avenue. All of a sudden, we see firework-like lights coming from the street and shooting up in the sky and coming towards the hotel/us. I see Philippe jumping super fast and ducking behind the wall. Everyone, by reflex does the same thing. The lights fly above our heads and above the hotel. We see like big fire red bullet. WOW! more adrenaline. The rebels were shooting long range tracers with bullets at us. Probably just to intimidate us because it was just a one time thing. We all thought there were anti aircraft mist, and started fearing for the helicopters who kept doing their rounds all night long.
wow! so long for a relax evening outside. Our group went inside and stayed inside, while several unconscious people went back out to hang out.
Later on as we are about to go to sleep, or at east try, I get a call from Sister Flora, whispering on the phone that the office guards have been tied up while the office is being pillaged by armed rebels. I felt so helpless and frustrated at the same time knowing that there was nothing at all I could do given our failures the nights before. And so all I could tell her was to pray for the guards to not be harmed.
For rebels and locals to pillage private profit making corporations, I can perhaps understand given how opportunistic and abusive private sector companies can often be in the developing world. But NGOs?! Yes, perhaps some NGOs are not all that clean, but that for the most part we are all there to help local communities improve their livelihoods, not at all to take advantage of them, but rather to ensure that the grants we win get the most sustainable and positive impact as possible.
Another sleepless night in Bangui...my body is still filled with adrenaline. I am not quite sure if my reaction is normal given the situation. Perhaps I am a bit crazy, yet at the same time, I know there is absolutely nothing I can do.
Bonne nuit.
The hotel by mid morning was full. The lobby was filled up with evacuees newly arrived and lining up to try and book rooms at the front desk. Cash in advance is still the only way to go. Ridiculously abusive!
Our intel confirms that many more NGOs got pillaged during the night. MINUSCA and Sangaris where were you all night???
Late morning, a window of opportunity opened up, the conflict cleared the access to the hotel. CRS staff teamed up with Philippe, and they made a 5 car convoy, no escort whatsoever, yet made it safe to the hotel. Yay! I was actually really happy to see him, and also see the CRS team arrive. Well, I was super proud and impressed that they took such risk. Goes to show Philippe's and Leann's experience with such situations.
Rumors say that the rebels are taking teh day off to rest from all the pillages and refill ammunition. Thus, an intense night to come.More action to come. More adrenaline for me!
The difefrent NGOs present in the hotel decide to put together periodical Chief of Mission's meetings. Since I am the only one from SCCF, I get to attend. What an interesting process. Yet at the same time, very surprisingly disorganised. As if it were the very first time for everyone, when most people around the table had already gone through at least 2 similar yet much worse situations in the past, and in Bangui. Oh well...
Our task is to put together a list ranking each NGO staff by order of evacuation priority. I was under CRS responsibility, so up to them. Personally, the longer I stay, the more action I get to see, the more adrenaline, and the more exciting an experience. So I let Leann do whatever she wants. Might as well put me at the bottom of the list.
First batch of evacuations planned for tomorrow morning.
The rest of the day goes as usual...intel hunt, speculation, a bit of socializing and networking, and a lot of laughing thanks to our dear Arnold.
Up until last night, dinner options were many. Just like in any restaurant, there was a menu with different prices and options, based on clients appetite and budget. So why would anything change, right?!
Well...now that the hotel is full or evacuees with no other option that to stay here, the hotel management, all of a sudden has decided to remove the entire menu, and impose the most expensive option: the 30 euros buffet. 30 euros for a meal when the minimum monthly salary is around 40 euros. And the manager is a foreigner! When the waiter brought the bill to us, even though we assumed it was all like last night and we had all taken just a simple salad from the salad bar, I lost my equanimity, or at least had some trouble maintaining it. Scandalous! And so we told the waiter we would simply not pay, and if the management had a problem with it, to come and confront us. Our loud scandal made a few other people complain as well. Good!
After dinner, some of us, not me, wanted to get a drink, and so we hung out on the terrace overlooking the pool, and facing far away, the main avenue. All of a sudden, we see firework-like lights coming from the street and shooting up in the sky and coming towards the hotel/us. I see Philippe jumping super fast and ducking behind the wall. Everyone, by reflex does the same thing. The lights fly above our heads and above the hotel. We see like big fire red bullet. WOW! more adrenaline. The rebels were shooting long range tracers with bullets at us. Probably just to intimidate us because it was just a one time thing. We all thought there were anti aircraft mist, and started fearing for the helicopters who kept doing their rounds all night long.
wow! so long for a relax evening outside. Our group went inside and stayed inside, while several unconscious people went back out to hang out.
Later on as we are about to go to sleep, or at east try, I get a call from Sister Flora, whispering on the phone that the office guards have been tied up while the office is being pillaged by armed rebels. I felt so helpless and frustrated at the same time knowing that there was nothing at all I could do given our failures the nights before. And so all I could tell her was to pray for the guards to not be harmed.
For rebels and locals to pillage private profit making corporations, I can perhaps understand given how opportunistic and abusive private sector companies can often be in the developing world. But NGOs?! Yes, perhaps some NGOs are not all that clean, but that for the most part we are all there to help local communities improve their livelihoods, not at all to take advantage of them, but rather to ensure that the grants we win get the most sustainable and positive impact as possible.
Another sleepless night in Bangui...my body is still filled with adrenaline. I am not quite sure if my reaction is normal given the situation. Perhaps I am a bit crazy, yet at the same time, I know there is absolutely nothing I can do.
Bonne nuit.
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