Central African Republic: civil society leaders of 'dead city' protest still held by police
Five civil society leaders arrested in Bangui ahead of a press conference after the 12 October "ville morte" operation against fuel price rises remain in police custody. In a statement read on national television on the evening of Saturday 17 October, the public prosecutor announced an investigation into civil society organisations, accusing them of seeking to disturb public order and incite civil disobedience. Their lawyers say they were prevented from visiting the detainees, and civil society organisations have given the authorities until the afternoon of Monday 19 October to release them, threatening a nationwide "ville morte" otherwise.
Why it matters: The standoff bears on the theme of civil unrest, showing how a government fuel-price increase has produced a general strike, arrests and a prosecutor's inquiry into civil society in one of the world's poorest countries.