Life is Expensive in Birao (Vakaga)

By Sophie HERVOUET | LNC Translated into English by Susan CARTER-JONES l LNC

(Bangui, July 21, 2026 | LAMINE MÉDIA) In Birao, the capital of the Vakaga prefecture in northeastern CAR, the cost of living is becoming increasingly problematic; the city is already hampered by persistent insecurity and severely deteriorated road infrastructure, in addition to its geographical isolation. With a somber expression, Omar Alfachine Ali, the representative for Birao’s merchants, opens his shop—a bamboo structure. The goods he usually imports from Chad and Sudan struggle to arrive due to the poor condition of the roads. "When we buy products in Chad, once they reach the border, we use horse-drawn carts—which carry no more than 500 kilos—to bring them to Birao," he explains. "They make multiple round trips over a distance of 150 kilometers. And the cost is extremely high. Transporters and merchants operate amidst insecurity. Traveling from the town of Ndélé [further southwest—Ed.] to Birao, for instance, means risking one's life." Generally, merchants pass transport costs on to the consumer, resulting in prices that exceed the caps set by the Ministry of Commerce. Omar Alfachine Ali recounts: "For example, in the dry season, a bag of cement costs 25,000 CFA francs [€38.11—Ed.]. In the rainy season, it costs 35,000 CFA [€53.35—Ed.]. A sack of onions usually costs 10,000 CFA [€15.24—Ed.]. But right now, it costs between 40,000 and 50,000 CFA [between €60.97 and €76.22—Ed.]." "As for a sack of sugar, the price has gone from 40,000 to 60,000 CFA francs [€91.46, Ed.]." "We no longer get enough to eat" Life is also hard for residents like Mariam Ali, for whom every trip to the market has become a real exercise in calculation. "It’s a serious problem," she sighs. "The prices of goods and food products have tripled. We no longer get enough to eat. It is impossible to live on less than 7,500 CFA francs [€11.43, Ed.] a day in Birao." Thierry Evariste Binguinendji, the region's governor, states that road rehabilitation is underway and that all these transport issues will be resolved within a year. An empty promise!

For: LAMINE MEDIA (in FR and GB)

Date: July 21, 2026

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