Living convictions - Dr Ione in the Central African Republic (Part V)

In 1968, Dr Ione, then a young medical student from Italy, came to the newly independent Central African Republic to help run a hospital in the north. Since then, she has spent thirty-four years in the country, living through rebellions, mutinies, intermittent progress, and desperation.

In the fifth part of our interview series, Dr Ione explains the turmoils faced by the population of Ngaoundaye, surrounded by belligerent parties. She explains how people were trapped between the rebels and the government forces, how the attacks have changed the life in the villages and how precarious the situation remains. During her recent conversations with young rebels, she encouraged them to open negotiations with the government and to put down their weapons. According to Dr Ione, the government's initiative to have an inclusive political dialogue in the coming months might bring results in a near future but the failure of similar attempts in the past and the remaining presence of numerous weapons in the country serve to temper expectations.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• Central African Republic
• Humanitarian Crisis
• HDPT
• Ngaoundaye
• Ouham
• Pende
• COOPI
• health
• development
• ione