TORN: the CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

. I spent February 2023 in the Central African Republic. Carrying a difficult and complex history of colonialism and independence, the country had ripped apart in the early 2010's. In 2023 I found the country in a state of suspension, conflict and ethnic strife hampering development. The Russian Wagner Group was tightening its grip on natural resource extraction and overall security of the nation. The UN mission and NGO's are trying to navigate a complex, intractable situation. Working with UNICEF gave me access and mobility that would have been almost impossible otherwise. Somehow, despite their travails, the Central Africans are some of the warmest most accessible people I have met on the continent.