Christina is from Bocaranga, which sounds more like the name of a film than a sprawling hillside market town. It lies in the northwest of the Central African Republic (CAR), amid stunning scenery of forested hills. But Christina doesn’t live there any more. She and her three young children are now staying 160 kilometres away, in a different town, called Bouar. It doesn’t sound like a huge distance – exactly 100 miles. But Christina and her kids walked, or rather fled, the whole way.
I met Christina in Bouar, at a local centre d’écoute, or listening centre, set up to support Central Africans who’ve survived violence. She’s been in Bouar for almost a year now, but her situation has barely changed.
