FACA soldiers stationed at the Mouka roadblock on the Bria-Ouadda Maïkaga axis are currently requiring civilians to pay a fixed fee of 2000 FCFA for each passage through the checkpoint. These personnel are also siphoning a half-liter of fuel directly from the tanks of mototaxis and vehicles moving along the route in the Haute-Kotto prefecture.
Operations at this specific location contravene a 2023 presidential decree that ordered the dismantling of all illegal road checkpoints across the country. That directive restricted control authority on public thoroughfares exclusively to the gendarmerie and the police.
The presence of FACA soldiers at the Mouka roadblock has become a point of contention for those traveling along the Bria-Ouadda Maïkaga axis. According to reports from the area, the FACA soldiers are strictly enforcing the collection of the 2000 FCFA fee from every individual attempting to cross the checkpoint. This fixed fee is mandatory for all civilians seeking passage, regardless of their destination or the nature of their travel. The consistent application of this 2000 FCFA charge at the Mouka roadblock represents a persistent financial burden for local commuters and transport operators who rely on this route for their daily activities within the Haute-Kotto prefecture.
In addition to the collection of cash, the FACA soldiers are siphoning a half-liter of fuel from the tanks of mototaxis and vehicles. This practice occurs as part of the transit process at the Mouka roadblock. Drivers of mototaxis and vehicles are required to submit to this fuel extraction, which reduces their available resources for travel along the Bria-Ouadda Maïkaga axis. This specific action regarding the siphoning of a half-liter of fuel adds a material cost to the monetary 2000 FCFA fee already imposed by the personnel stationed at the site.
The conduct of the FACA soldiers at this location is directly addressed by the 2023 presidential decree. This legal instrument was established to regulate the security landscape by ordering the dismantling of all illegal road checkpoints across the country. By maintaining the Mouka roadblock, the FACA soldiers are operating outside the parameters set by the government. The 2023 presidential decree explicitly mandates that the authority to exercise control on public thoroughfares is restricted exclusively to the gendarmerie and the police.
Because the FACA soldiers are not part of the gendarmerie or the police, their presence and their activities at the Mouka roadblock are in violation of the 2023 presidential decree. The directive was intended to ensure that transit on public roads remains free from unauthorized checkpoints and the associated practices of fee collection and fuel siphoning. The ongoing situation at the Mouka roadblock on the Bria-Ouadda Maïkaga axis serves as a direct challenge to the enforcement of the 2023 presidential decree, which sought to centralize control authority within the designated police and gendarmerie forces. Civilians traveling through the Haute-Kotto prefecture continue to encounter these unauthorized demands, noting the gap between the national directive and the current reality at this specific roadblock.
